Natsu's Choice
by YAXON
Summary: Erza enters a tentative relationship with Jellal, leaving Natsu in a lot of pain. But it isn't as if he has to dwell on the redhead forever; a certain Takeover mage might just be interested in him a little. But... who should he choose to be with? Erza? Or Mira? Post-Alvarez Empire Arc. Eventual harem. NaMiZa.
1. Chapter 1

It started out innocent. Just two friends spending time together in the Guild Hall. Natsu didn't begrudge them this – Jellal had proven himself to be a trusted ally. The Fire Dragon Slayer could come back from Quests and still talk to the redhead without feeling awkward; in fact, it was a sort of unofficial policy for him to do so, if for nothing else than to show a longtime friend, who was now his Guild Master, that he was alright. Natsu even managed to make small talk with Jellal every now and then.

And then the line started to blur between those two. Oh, it was nothing major changed at first. The two would sit a little closer together. They would occasionally hold hands. Erza would get this look in her eye whenever she smiled at the azure-haired mage. Natsu valiantly tried to ignore these cues; he wasn't in the Guild often enough to know if they had initiated anything, but deep down the pink-head knew that if they hadn't already, they were one step away. And at first, the Dragon Slayer genuinely wasn't bothered with this prospect. He was still the happy-go-lucky, feisty knucklehead that was dense when it came to a ton of stuff. The concept of love wasn't even on his brain – friendship was the most approximate thing to that deep and complex subject.

But something brewed below the surface. Otherwise, he wouldn't have started to feel slightly apprehensive every time he returned to the Guild. To feel a pang of jealousy every time the azure-haired mage shared a deep, meaningful look with Erza. To feel somewhat wounded that Erza wouldn't look at _him_ that way. It was totally different from the deep bond of friendship shared between the Dragon Slayer and the knight; Erza trusted him to win practically any battle now without question, but once they were off the battlefield, she had this tendency to gravitate toward the man that had only recently joined Fairy Tail. In a sense, Natsu felt like they were drifting apart. And perhaps that feeling wasn't unwarranted; Erza was the Seventh Guild Master while he was 'only' an S-Class mage, albeit one that had grown to rival if not surpass the infamous Crash mage.

Natsu tried being supportive when Mira informed him the relationship became official. It wasn't for Jellal's sake that he tried, but Erza's; the scarlet knight deserved to be happy, and it looked like Jellal finally stopped moping about the past to make that happen. And yet… regardless of how hard he tried to smile for them, the sentiment never ran too deep. Natsu didn't bother to question why he felt a certain heaviness in his chest – frankly, it was just in his nature not to question feelings; if he felt a certain way, he just did. No need to wax poetically about it or somethin'. The pink-head was pretty confused about the _source_ of this feeling, namely Erza's relationship with Jellal, but he didn't question that on some level he was feeling depression, bitterness, self-loathing… Stuff he admittedly didn't have much experience with. 'Course he'd felt them in the past, but never all-together like this. It was so complex, and so… Natsu didn't even know how to word it. Overall, it just made him feel like crap, and he wished these feelings would just stop.

And then there was that time she wasn't even in the Guild when he returned from a Quest.

* * *

"Welcome back, Natsu!" Mira chirped as she ran the bar counter for old times' sake. The Pyro had taken to wearing a cloak like Gildarts usually did, and still does. He grinned and waved at the silver-haired barmaid as he ambled on over to sit at the bar. "Want your usual?"

Natsu nodded his head out of impulse, and Mira went on to prepare some flaming meat in addition to a cup of whiskey while the Dragon Slayer looked around the Guild idly. As usual, there wasn't many people lounging around as there used to be. You'd think people would be more inclined to take a load off after that war with the Alvarez Empire, but actually a great many a Fairy Tail Wizard felt compelled to take on more job requests when they could. It wasn't so much because they feared they needed to stay in shape for unknown threats that could crop up – though that might have been a small part of it – but there was a surge in the sentiment of adventure. You never knew what day might be your last, so it was best to treat each day that way. Of course people still knew how to relax; it's just that Natsu's infectious enthusiasm finally seemed to affect everyone to the point they were gung-ho for Quests. Even when S-Class Trials weren't anytime soon.

"Where's Erza?" Natsu asked Mira when she came back with his meal. He didn't see the redhead anywhere, and she was rarely holed up in her office.

The silver-haired barmaid smiled apologetically at the Dragon Slayer.

"I'm afraid you missed her. She left for a Conference this morning, and won't be back for at least a few days." Mira didn't have the heart to tell him that Jellal tagged along. There was apparently a Quest near Clover Town that pretty much coincided with how long the Conference was.

"Oh." Was all Natsu could say to that. Mira did not miss how the pink-head's shoulders slumped the slightest amount; she wagered that the Dragon Slayer didn't even _know_ he had come to rely on Erza being here after every Quest. Like, on some level he probably knew that returning home to Fairy Tail meant seeing Erza again, but he probably wasn't aware _why_ seeing the redhead was important to him.

The knucklehead was finally falling in love. And he didn't even know it. To be honest, Mira felt a pang of jealousy that Erza was the lucky lady to snare the loveable Pyro; moreso when you factor in that she was already in a relationship, and had no idea she had Natsu in the palm of her hand. It wasn't like Mira herself had such feelings for Natsu, but he was a man dear to her heart. He was among the inner circle of friends there for her and Elfman when Lisanna seemingly died, and he helped make it possible for all of them to return from Edolas, including the sister they had thought to be dead. He was always so warm and willing to share the stories of his adventures with her, and even though he didn't share a bond with her like he did with Erza, they could both depend on one another regardless of the situation.

In essence, Mira might not have feelings for Natsu, but she wouldn't be adverse to a relationship with him, to test the waters. But even so… that wasn't likely to happen anytime this century.

"If you ever want to talk, I'll listen, okay?" Mira assured the pink-head, who smiled gratefully at her gesture.

"Thanks, Mira. I can't think of anything right now, but I'll keep ya in mind."

Mira kept smiling in spite of the Dragon Slayer's words. Yup. Clueless…

* * *

This would happen a few more times – never back-to-back or anything, but there would be times when Erza was away. Whenever it happened, Natsu considered waiting until her return, but then thought better of it and just went back on the road the following day, onward to his next S-Class Quest. Not that Erza seemed to notice. She certainly never commented on him being gone longer than usual.

And so it was that Natsu sank further into depression. By this point he had to acknowledge these feelings transcended mere friendship with the scarlet knight. It was a whole lot worse than that time Lucy was grieving over her father's death and wanting to be left alone; willingly or not, Erza was distancing herself from him, and Natsu hated it. He didn't want to return to the days when the only acknowledgement he got from her was when she pounded him and Gray for fighting in the Guild Hall. Despite Fairy Tail's disbandment for that one year, when they reunited it seemed like their bond was stronger than ever in the face of Zeref and his army. But now that there wasn't some amazingly powerful enemy to take down, the bond was just… loosening.

Natsu wasn't known to be a quitter. There was a period of time when he took a break from Quests. If anything, that made things worse for him than her occasional absences due to Guild Master Conferences… It became clear to Natsu that Jellal spent a great time around Erza as her boyfriend. It wasn't just meals; they would do so much together. Even when Jellal just went to do something simple for her, like deliver letters to the post office… Natsu's heart felt so much like a clamp or vice tightening in his chest whenever he watched them together.

Amazingly, he endured that kind of pain for two weeks before he decided that he needed to get back to taking Quests. Two weeks might seem like nothing at all, but for Natsu they were the most agonizing and tortuous weeks he'd had to endure in his life… and he'd done nothing but take some time off and visit with what friends he could, including Erza. The pink-head used to view Quests as painful 'cause he'd be away from the redhead, but now… Well. It was less painful when he wasn't around her, and that was really saying something.

He didn't throw himself back into those Quests alone, however. Mira had been a constant ray of sunshine in this otherwise gloomy time for him, and Natsu kinda felt bad about dragging her down in his depressed state, so they went on some jobs together. It wasn't as anything as fantastic as romance between them; just two friends taking on epic S-Class Quests together. For some odd reason, Natsu felt a lot better going on Quests with Mira than going with Gray and Lucy. He supposed that with them, his mind would drift to Erza. A lot. 'Cause the three of them, Erza, 'n Wendy (can't forget Happy and Carla) did so many jobs together, back before Alvarez and Tartaros.

At least with Mira, he could let Wendy tag along, too, sometimes. He couldn't bring himself to loathe his little Sis, never. Yet with Mira… Natsu didn't know why, but she had become a constant pillar in his life as of late. She was filling a void in his heart left by Erza, and he honestly didn't know how to feel about that.

And then _that_ happened, and things got more muddled…

* * *

"Another job done!" Mira chirped as she and Natsu arrived back in Magnolia after dark. The Fire Dragon Slayer was currently walking the Takeover mage home, and he sent Happy back to their place at her request… with the promise of fish for his 'trouble', of course.

"Yeah. Stomping those monsters was pretty fun." Natsu grinned back at her, arms behind his head lazily as they walked.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, but then they reached Mira's place, and then it came time for them to part ways for the night. Having gone on a number of missions with Mira, she'd explained his duty as a gentleman to walk her up to the front door, and so he did… still somewhat reluctantly (Natsu Dragneel and formality/decorum just did not mix well).

"Well, I had fun!" Natsu expressed honestly with a smile before half-turning to head back home. "See you tom…"

The Dragon Slayer was cut off as Mira's lips crashed onto his own while her arms draped around his neck. Natsu swore there was some kinda Lightning Magic infused into that kiss, 'cause… _wow_. He was tingling all over, and his face was now sporting a healthy blush. He couldn't really bring himself to kiss her back because he was caught off-guard and, well… his emotions were a jumble, of course.

When Mira parted from the heated kiss, she leaned her head on his shoulder and looked to him longingly. She just couldn't take it anymore. Maybe her feelings for the knucklehead in her arms were fully developed, but damn if she didn't want to at least try _one_ date with the guy to see where it could go.

"I'm sorry, Natsu… I just… you… I…" Mira trailed off unintelligibly and nuzzled her head into his neck and shoulder. It was honestly nice to be so close to him…

Natsu blinked dumbly and tried his best to process all of this. He knew exactly what Mira wanted to say, even if he was a greenhorn when it came to this topic… Well, shoot. What was he supposed to do now?

* * *

 **Author's Note: This** _ **was**_ **going to go in my main FT fanfic, but then as I continued to write it… I dunno. Even if I don't go the harem route, I could make this a NaMi fanfic instead of a Natza one. I personally feel more 'passionate' about Natza than NaMi, but hey, I can appreciate that pairing, too. I'm open-minded to most heterosexual pairings in Fairy Tail, save for Nalu and Jerza… The only reason I paired Erza up with Jellal here was for the angst factor; it won't be permanent, even if this doesn't end up a harem. I swear there's something wrong with me, because reading/writing Natsu in pain like this is just so interesting. Gahhh. So interesting. :P**

 **I entirely blame the fanfic 'Cold Tears' by Tempest35, 'cause that fic just seems unfinished, between you and me. The angst is great (and I bet you do not hear that often), but it has the potential for Erza to patch things up with Natsu. Just like I'm hoping to do here. Rest assured, I plan to do more actual scenes than exposition like I did here in the first chapter; I just wanted to test the waters with introspection on Natsu's part.**

 **Future chapters might be longer than this one, this intro was more for feedback and whatnot. My main focus will still be on the Natza fic, but I won't leave this one out to dry. At this point I'm just undecided who Natsu will end up with – Mira, Erza, or both. Feel free to lemme know in the Reviews if you have a preference. I'll take them under consideration, and might reach a decision by the time I post the next Chap. Hope you enjoyed it a little!**


	2. Chapter 2

Natsu ran a hand through his hair as he walked to the Guild at a meager pace. It'd been a few days since Mira had done… that thing… and he hadn't taken any Quests or even dropped by the Guild Hall since then. The reason for this was because Natsu had been unable to give Mirajane any sort of answer to her confession; instead of wracking his brain for a response on the spot, he had politely asked the Takeover mage if he could have a few days to think it through. In that time, he vowed to channel all of his energy into this brainstorming – that meant no Quests, no fraternizing with Guildmates, no procrastination.

It'd been one hell of a brainstorming period. Natsu had never given anything so much thought before, and it showed. There was a reason that he didn't like to think through his feelings… Well, okay, there might've been more than a few reasons, but the major one had to do with how _complicated_ feelings could be. Someone or something made you happy? Great. _Why_ does that person or thing make you happy? Does that person make you happy enough to warrant a relationship? Can you look that person in the eye and genuinely say you love them in return, and that any lingering feelings you have for someone else won't get in the way of the relationship? Could he move on, just like that?

… Okay, that hit a little too close to what he'd been thinking nonstop for three days straight, but you get the idea. And Happy sure was a bundle of help with his merciless teasing… not. Call the Rune Knights 'cause an imposter Natsu was trying to imply that the genuine article actually had a brain, would he? … Well, he didn't _really_ call the Rune Knights… But still. It was the principle of the thing, damn it. Natsu had a perfectly functioning brain. It's just between searching for Igneel, getting stronger, 'n fighting Zeref, there hadn't really been 'time' to ponder relationships. He was completely out of his depth. Girls were complicated, romance was complicated… Winning a fight never required this much thinkin'.

Still. Natsu supposed he had reached an answer, despite how much of a headache it was. He promised Mira an answer in three days' time, and he was gonna give it to her. No matter who might be watchin'. Even if ol' Droopy Drawers was there. Even if…

"Oh, Natsu! Welcome back!" Mira chirped as the pink-head entered the Guild Hall his traditional way… by kicking the doors wide open and announcing his return to everybody.

She didn't miss how his enthusiasm died a little upon seeing their redheaded Guild master at the bar counter. In spite of this, Natsu made his way over and ordered some breakfast like everything was normal. Thankfully, Erza seemed preoccupied with reading some missive from the Council or somethin', and so didn't acknowledge him beyond a simple greeting. Natsu sighed internally as this crossed his mind. Really? He was thankful the scarlet knight was too busy for small talk? That was pretty… pitiful.

"Hey, Mira? Do you mind if we… talk in private for a sec?" Natsu scratched the side of his head somewhat anxiously as the barmaid returned with his meal. Screw that earlier confidence… Giving the Takeover mage her answer with the Guild Master present just didn't seem… possible…

Mira frowned thoughtfully at Natsu's sudden request. It wasn't as if she didn't know what he wanted to talk about… She'd been waiting three days for his response. Even so, Mira couldn't help feel nervous about his apparent preferred method for giving it. But then her eyes fell on the scarlet knight so engrossed in her reading, and they softened in slight comprehension. Maybe it was a bit presumptive, but… Erza _was_ kind of there, so…

"Sure, Natsu." Mira nodded her head, and she proceeded to take the Dragon Slayer down to the storage room in the basement. The Guild was stocked both upstairs and downstairs, so no one should bother them down there. The silver-haired barmaid chewed her bottom lip anxiously as Natsu didn't say anything for a few minutes after coming down; just ran a hand through his hair nervously and paced back and forth a bit. Eventually, she stuttered out, "S-So… Um… Did you… that is… Were you able to…"

Mira was so nervous that she wasn't able to speak coherently. Yet Natsu was able to understand what she meant. Hey, his heart was doing the impression of a jackhammer, too, y'know. It wasn't just her.

"Y-Yeah…" Natsu mumbled as he shuffled his feet awkwardly. Gee, the floor sure looked fascinating. "I thought long and hard about it."

Natsu briefly looked up at Mira before sheepishly ducking his head again, cheeks pink with embarrassment. Yet the silver-haired barmaid was patient enough to let him explain at a pace he was comfortable with.

"The thing is… I just can't get Erza outta my head." Natsu said in a timid, fragile voice that shattered Mira's heart. He knew that this would be the worst part for her to hear, so he'd chosen to start with it; that didn't mean he was anywhere close to being done with what he had to say. "She's hurt me in a way that none of our past enemies ever did. I can't justify these feelings in terms of the current Erza. I guess you could say that I'm stuck in the past when it comes to her…

Mustering the courage required, Natsu looked up and locked eyes with the deeply saddened Mira.

"I'm frustrated with how far our friendship has fallen, and I know she has every right to be with the guy she loves. I don't begrudge her that. Doesn't change my feelings for her, but for her sake I tolerate things the way they are. Maybe one day she'll wanna be actual friends with me again, I dunno." Natsu closed his eyes briefly before reopening them and stepping forward to take Mira's hands in his own. "But maybe she'll never notice. At least, not until some major war starts up again. I can't claim to be a fortuneteller or a psychic. Maybe I do need to move on. See, I say I can't move on from Erza, but that's me talkin' from months of agonizing waiting on her. You know how I can be so stubborn and bullheaded…

Natsu grinned as Mira's expression gradually changed from one of sorrow to one of shock. He knew that he probably sounded flimsy or whatever word you wanna use, but he'd taken three days to painstakingly think this through, and he was only guiding Mira through the highlights of his thinking process.

"Mira. I've been brooding for months, using Quests as a means to dull the pain Erza's given me. But you didn't care if I was grumpy to talk to or just really out of it… You kept approaching me, and even helped kick ass with me on some jobs!" Natsu laughed a little sheepishly. "Didn't matter if I wanted to be left alone; you kept comin' back, 'cause you knew I needed a shoulder to lean on. I can't stay depressed about this forever… Depression sucks, and it's just not me. Fits that Ice Cube helluva lot better.

The pink-head mirrored Mira's smile at his little joke; it was true, and he wasn't gonna take it back. He knew by this point Mira was starting to feel a spark of hope, and it was about damn time to bring it on home.

"I can't say for sure that I return your feelings just yet. I can say that they're definitely not as powerful as the ones I have for Erza… But… I can't refuse you outright, y'know. Just 'cause I don't 'love' you like Erza doesn't mean I don't have any feelings at all. You're important to me; I can say that much, and I don't want you to think I got tunnel vision or somethin'. I… kinda wanna repay ya for all you've done. If that means bein' your boyfriend and taking you on a few dates to see what it's like, hey, I'm down with it. You're awesome, Mira!"

Natsu grinned cheesily as his motormouth finally stopped flapping its gums. His eyes were closed again, but the pink-head figured he had a bit of time until Mira processed everything before giving a reaction… He certainly wasn't expecting a delightful squeal and a bone-crushing hug centered on his neck as she held him close and rubbed their faces together affectionately. Not within seconds of his explanation ending. Perhaps he should have expected something like that, but he kinda underestimated the silver-haired beauty…

"Oooh, we're going to have so much fun! I've got so much to teach you! When I'm done, you'll be the model boyfriend that all of the guys will be forced to look up to!" Mira declared passionately with a tinge of ominous to go with it that for some inexplicable reason sent ghost shivers up the backs of all other guys of the Guild that were in relationships. The silver-haired beauty somehow ignored Natsu's spirit coming out of his mouth from how tightly she was cuddling his neck. It wasn't completely her fault, she was just so excited.

Natsu, meanwhile, had this peculiar notion that he had just struck a deal with the Devil… Yes, that sense of dread overshadowed the suffocation/bone-cracking of the hug she was giving him. Natsu still had nightmares of the last time Erza tried to teach him vocabulary and grammar… Just how much worse would lessons in etiquette and manners be…?

* * *

A few days later, Natsu stumbled into the Guild looking quite winded and ruffled in that monkey suit he was wearing. He mechanically made his way over to the table that Gray was lounging at and threw himself across it without a hint of shame. His eye was twitchy, and his hand was reaching toward the Ice Make mage with a sort of sick desperation.

"Gray… help…" The Dragon Slayer's voice was quite pleading and pitiful, and true to form, his rival… had not a shred of mercy as he continued to sip his beverage.

"What's gotten into you?" Gray asked plainly, with only a _mild_ curiosity. Natsu's twitch intensified a fraction amount.

"… No questions. You gotta hide me."

"How about no?" Gray retorted dryly. … And where did his shirt go?

"You gottaaa," Natsu whined pitifully. He was quite determined to not say anything about who or what had him all desperate. You _know_ how that works. Speak of the Devil…

"Oh, Natsuuu!"

… And she will appear. In a stunning and fairly revealing dress and high heels.

"You never saw me!" Natsu hissed as he moved faster than Gray had ever seen him move before… shamelessly using Gray as a sort of meat shield between him and the bubbly Takeover mage that just entered the Guild Hall.

"Like hell! I'm not gonna take one for you if it's Mira you've pissed off!" Gray tried moving out of the way, but strangely enough (or not), Natsu was quite firmly holding him down and preventing him from turning too much in his seat. The pink-head would not tolerate insubordination from his designated meat shield.

Alas, Gray was not the only one that Natsu had to worry about ratting him out.

"Oh, there you are, Natsu!" Elfman remarked as he hefted the Dragon Slayer into plain view, despite Natsu's best attempts to stay latched to the Ice Make mage. "Sis has been lookin' for you… And that reminds me… we still need to have that talk of a Real Man…"

Elfman needed to establish that there were _boundaries_ for his older sister's boyfriend, after all. But Natsu didn't care about the silver-haired man's cliché and completely unnecessary overprotective big-little brother act. He had seen Mira's eyes light up upon seeing him, which only meant he was screwed. Natsu promptly began running in place as Elfman's grip on the scruff of his scarf just would. not. loosen.

"There you are!" Mira said with hands on her hips before she motioned for Elfman to hand her boyfriend over. The manly man did so with some reluctance, as he'd wanted that chat with Salamander to get it out of the way… but it looked like it would have to wait. He didn't seem bothered that Mira began dragging the pink-head across the Guild floor and out the doors at a respectable pace. "We need to get back! Our reservations only last so long!"

Now see, that sounded innocent and romantic, but this was not an average, be-yourself date. No. Mira was taking Natsu to a fancy restaurant to teach him etiquette and manners. Any missteps resulted in a smack from an old wooden spoon that Mira just so happened to carry around with her. … Don't ask. The thing hurt like a motherfucker.

"So… Natsu and Mira, huh?" Gray muttered as the doors closed behind the couple as they went off to do… couple stuff.

"Yeah." Elfman responded, still not quite sure how to feel about the knucklehead courting his big sis.

"Poor bastard." Macao openly sympathized with everybody's favorite Pyro. Mira was a sweet, loving woman, but you had to keep in mind her moniker. Clearly the Demon did not fade away after they defeated Zeref.

"Where's Cana? We should set up a pool for how long it'll last." Wakaba joked, and was promptly socked in the face by the only male Strauss Sibling.

"Did Mira say where she set up reservations at?" Gray asked Elfman with a straight face.

"Why do you wanna know?" The manly man asked suspiciously of the Ice Make mage.

"Oh, I wanna show my support." The raven-haired man answered vaguely. 'Support' translating to watching the show from a lawn chair while munching on popcorn. The best kind of support, really.

Hey, he mighta given up on taking down END, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy his 'best friend's' suffering. Flame-for-Brains was prime entertainment when he was outta his depth… and the dating scene definitely qualified as 'out of his depth' for Natsu Dragneel. Idiot did the same thing when he and Juvia started going out – just wouldn't shut his mouth about how Gray totally didn't know what he was doing.

Well… Payback's a bitch, ain't it?

* * *

 **Author's Note: A lot more lighthearted than the first chapter, but in my defense… I wanna try to stay true to Fairy Tail's form. The series has its sad moments, and it has its silly moments. I know the main genres for this fic are 'angst' and 'hurt/comfort', but those really are the main themes to this story. If I could list more than just two themes, you'd probably see humor, drama, friendship, family, romance… a whole slew of 'em. :P**

 **At this point you're probably thinking Natsu x Mira is set, and they're gonna have a solid relationship from the get-go. However, I'm gonna be branching off from my usual style of only portraying the happy moments. Relationships just aren't like that. :P Not only will Natsu struggle to determine if he has growing feelings for Mira, there will still be Erza-issues. I know a fair amount of you guys don't like the way Erza comes across so far, but it is my hope to change those views, even if it's just a little. I'm not in the habit of bashing characters, especially awesome ones like Erza. This does not mean Erza has some secret reason for being distant; like any human, the scarlet knight makes mistake. And she made a fairly big one in this case, and man is she going to be feeling exceedingly guilty later.**

 **That's not gonna happen right away, though. I dunno how long this story will be, but I hope to keep a respectable pace so that the characters and their actions are believable.**

 **That all being said… I do believe this story will go the NaMiZa route. Erza's got a long road ahead of her in terms of 'redemption'; the first step will be awareness, and perhaps that will start in the near future. Though it will be gradual, of course, and not all-at-once. I can't say you'll like her portrayal any better in the coming chapters, but it's my hope to rectify that eventually. In the meantime, NaMi will be the main pairing until Natsu and Erza start making amends… and that is gonna be rough for both of 'em.**

 **Though I gotta say that the one Guest's comment about letting the characters work it out is probably my favorite suggestion for this story's future, 'cause it is good advice. I'm not gonna force NaMiZa to come any sooner; it'll happen at its own pace. There won't be any other girls in the harem because, well… This is Mira and Erza we're talking about here. Mira allowing Erza, who has hurt Natsu, to eventually be with her Dragon Slayer will be hard enough for her; any others would be too much ('cause who wants to share that loveable Pyro?). And obviously Erza doesn't require any explanation… Clingy Erza is my favorite. lol Won't get to her for quite some time, though.**

 **Thanks for all of the support, you guys! I really wasn't expecting such a huge wave of feedback so soon… Like, it's been one day (eh, a day and half), and already the story has over 500 views, over twenty Reviews, 44 Favs, and 52 Alerts. In terms of debuts for my stories, this has gotta be the most popular one yet (though TToNU has accrued quite the fanbase over a few years). Maybe it'll go down a bit 'cause of my decision to keep it NaMiZa, but I'll stick to my guns. So in advance, for the brave that stick around… Thanks so much! You're all awesome! ^^**

 **Hope you enjoyed this at least a little.**


	3. Chapter 3

Mira frowned as she idly polished a plate. The day was just about over, and most mages had gone home for the evening. Natsu was taking her on a date that night as soon as she closed down the bar, and rather than bother her as she performed her final tasks as barmaid, his eyes had drifted over to their scarlet-haired Master once again, who seemed to be sharing one last moment with her boyfriend before they parted ways for the night. Apparently, Jellal had an S-Class assignment, and he needed to set out early in the morning with Meredy.

Suddenly, a hand clapped Natsu on the shoulder, causing him to leap in his seat a little in surprise.

"You really were absorbed in watching them, weren't you?" Cobra snorted in amusement as he took a seat next to his fellow Dragon Slayer. His eyes panned over to the couple oblivious to their audience. "Gotta say, tuning into you has been pretty depressing for a while now, but it's nice to finally see you getting out of that funk. Depression doesn't suit you."

Natsu cracked a ghost of a grin and went back to watching the couple himself.

"Rejection makes a man stronger. If you can't move past it – as Elfman would say, you're not a real man."

Cobra rolled his eye as the Pyro said this with a serious face.

"Coolness doesn't really suit you either. You don't try to force it – coolness just happens, Salamander."

"But it's the truth, isn't it? We're all about making them happy. Our happiness is kinda secondary."

"… Maybe." Cobra allowed with a light frown. He didn't like to admit it, but Kinana was the whole reason he joined Fairy Tail after Crime Sorciere disbanded; he didn't want to push her away anymore after they encountered one another again shortly after the war with Alvarez ended. She really was Cubelios… as much as he'd tried to deny it at first. Her smile was truly something to behold. Cobra stared at Natsu out of the corner of his eye. "Even so… you haven't exactly followed your own advice."

Natsu smiled ruefully as he shrugged his shoulders and chuckled.

"I'm working on it. I've only been dating Mira for three weeks; it's kinda hard to drop habits that I've had for months at the drop of a hat."

"Fair enough." Cobra got back to his feet and slipped a hand in his pocket as he half-turned to face Natsu. "Though if you want my advice, you should talk to her and get everything out in the open. I'm not saying she'll get all weepy and leap into your arms, but at least you'll finally vent your frustrations. Maybe then you can finally move on for real."

Natsu winced slightly but nodded his head.

"I know." Was all he could really say to that. Mira had been kind enough to not bring it up yet, but he didn't need to read her mind to know that she wanted to take the initiative for him and speak out against Erza. While Natsu was worried about his girlfriend hurting the redhead with a good tongue-lashing, he was even more worried about what kind of pain _he_ would bring the scarlet knight if he just… let everything out. Natsu could control his fire so that it didn't burn others, but he wasn't too sure he could keep his powers in check let alone his words if he were to confront Erza in the near future. The Pyro shook his head. "So, you gonna take the S-Class Trials next month?"

Cobra rolled his eyes again at the amateur deflection. He tried allowing everyone at Fairy Tail a modicum of privacy despite his unique hearing, but people like Salamander had the tendency to think/feel 'loudly', true to his personality. Even after all these years, the Pyro was too dense to do anything but wear his heart on his sleeve. … But maybe that was a good thing when it came to the dating scene. Strauss had no reason to suspect he was cheating on her, and would never need to doubt him.

"There's not really much need for a friggin' title when the Master approves you taking S-Class Quests without a mage of that level tagging along. It's just an unnecessary formality." Cobra suddenly smirked as he eyed the Pyro. "Although… if you were a proctor, I might consider participating. I still need to get you back for busting my eardrums way back when."

Natsu returned his smirk. The guy wanted an encore performance? He'd give 'im a roar he'd never forget!

"We'll see how Erza arranges everything. Though I don't need a Trial as an excuse to kick your ass! I'll take ya on whenever you wanna go!"

"Che." Cobra grunted at the pink-head's bravado. He bid his fellow Dragon Slayer farewell, as Kinana wrapped up her own barmaid duties and was ready to go.

Natsu didn't miss how Erza and Jellal had left some time while he was focusing on Erik – er, Cobra. The Poison Dragon Slayer didn't let just anyone refer to him by his real name; not unless you were Kinana or anyone from Crime Sorciere. So don't test him. Not if you didn't wanna be lying on the couch for a week 'cause of a stomachache of unknown origins. Don't bother trying to look into it – Cobra was good at covering his tracks, and you _never_ knew when he struck. Just be thankful it was only a stomachache.

"Ready to go?" Mira asked as she donned her coat for the crisp fall air outside. Natsu finally noticed that about everyone had left now, so he just dumbly nodded his head. Time flew when you were havin' fun… or whatever you wanted to call what that was just now.

* * *

"Natsuuu!" Lucy cried as she ran up to the Dragon Slayer a few days later. Hysterically, she took him by the shoulders and started crying rivers of tears. "My rent's due, like, yesterday! Gray and Juvia keep wrecking stuff and beating people up for stupid reasons so the reward gets slashed every time! I need an S-Class Quest with really good pay!"

Let it be known that despite all of her past heroics, the blonde Celestial mage had not made it to S-Class yet… In fairness, there had only been two S-Class Trials ever since the Alvarez Empire fell; and in those Trials, only Natsu, Jellal, and Gray had gotten their promotions. Erza was trying to rework the system so that more than one mage could make it to the big leagues, as evidenced by promoting Natsu and Gray at the same time, but it was tough going. There were just so many of their friends that deserved the rank, and none of them particularly wanted it to be handed on a silver platter. Even after everything, they still had pride as mages – Erza, Mira, Laxus, and Gildarts all passed Trials to achieve their rank, so there was no reason they couldn't do the same. And Natsu and Gray had indeed done so.

In the meantime, there were some mages in Fairy Tail that were allowed to take S-Class Quests without a mage of that rank supervising – Cobra being an example of such. If you didn't have the Master's approval, however… Well, it basically didn't matter how skilled you were. Lucy usually needed to work with others, so she didn't have Erza's permission. She was just in the same boat as Levy. Respected, but not quite 'S-Class' material.

"Levy's out with Gajeel again… isn't she?" Natsu deadpanned as the blonde continued to shake him down. He wasn't surprised at Lucy's depressed nod. As much as he and the Celestial mage were still really good friends, their dynamic had changed after the blonde confessed her love for him and he couldn't really return her feelings. Him avoiding taking missions with her and Gray 'cause of memories of Erza was just another blow to her already broken heart, and so she simply took missions with Team Shadow Gear whenever she could.

Lucy musta really been desperate if she wanted to take a mission with him for rent money. He was way worse than the Stripper and Juvia combined. … Although it must be said that his preference in S-Class Quests allowed for gratuitous amounts of destruction and mayhem, so he was raking in the cash a lot more than he did with the ordinary Quests. Mira tagging along with him more frequently did not affect that at all, either – despite being a Demon to any monsters or Dark mages they came across.

"Lucy… You're not throttling poor Natsu… right? _My_ poor Natsu, by the way." Both Dragon Slayer and Celestial mage shivered at the deceptively sweet tone of the Demon-in-Angel's-clothing that had seemingly materialized right behind the blonde. Lucy didn't need to feel the hot breath of the silver-haired Takeover mage on the nape of her neck to know that death was nigh… Or, well, at least Punishment. Mira didn't have to kill you 'cause she had far worse methods at her disposal to make you _wish_ for death.

"Wah! I'm so sorry, Mirajane!" Lucy quickly straightened Natsu and dusted off his shoulders hysterically. Had to make him spick-and-span. Had to make him spick-and-span. Theeere… Aaall better.

Mira giggled as Lucy finished her rush 'cleaning' job and then backed up several meters from the pink-head and stood ramrod straight. The Takeover mage didn't need to be all possessive about Natsu and forbid him from going with Quests with other girls; if her reputation in conjunction with her proclaimed relationship with the Dragon Slayer didn't get the job done, then Natsu could stop anything from… 'happening'. And should a girl make any bold advances… Natsu need only give a name and a vague description, and Mira would take care of _everything_. Whether they were a mage or a pampered princess, Mira would take care of it all.

Just do not inquire into the details.

"Now… You are in desperate need of rent money?" At the blonde's hurried nods, Mira brought a pointer finger to her cheek as she seemed to 'think about it'. "Well, I have no problem with you tagging along, but the Quest might make you feel… awkward…"

"I'll do _anything_!"

Natsu opened his mouth to say two words – just two words – but Mira instantly clamped a hand over his lips and smiled serenely herself.

"Well. Let's get going. Lucky for you, I have your required uniform, so you don't need to pack."

"Great!" Lucy grinned, oblivious to what was in store… Like history repeating itself.

Natsu tried to speak up again, but Mira slapped a piece of duct tape over his mouth and dragged him out of the Guild by the scruff of his scarf. Happy held two paws over his mouth to stifle his laughter as he stared at the blonde Celestial mage before floating after his best friend and crazy girlfriend. _That_ burst Lucy's oblivious bubble, as that face never meant anything good when Happy made it.

"Happy, why are you making that face?! HAPPY!"

* * *

The four of them returned to Fairy Tail the next day – three of them looking highly amused while the fourth one…

"I swore I'd never do that again… and that bastard was worse than Everlue!" Lucy shrieked with a fiercely blushing face. She waved her arms frantically as she glared at Mira, who was unable to contain her laughter. "And why the hell did I have to wear a maid uniform like **that** abomination! That had to be the skimpiest uniform I have ever had the misfortune to wear!"

Combine that uniform with the underwear she usual wore, and Lucy might as well have gone up to that snob's house in the buff. … Which he probably would have enjoyed _immensely_ , given how often he tried to cop a feel. Why, if Mira hadn't swiped her Gate Keys…

"You performed masterfully, Lucy!" Mira winked at the blonde before letting loose another bout of laughter. "Natsu and I were able to freely roam his home while you kept him busy; you did so well, he ignored all the times his staff tried to alert him! We were able to recover the artifact he stole _and_ get evidence of his theft so that he'd go to jail for a long, long time…"

"He tried… to take me to bed…" Lucy seethed as she made strangling motions with her hands. Except she couldn't afford to try it for real, because she was Mirajane Strauss, and Lucy still needed to be able to take the reward money to her landlady…

But Lucy's attempt at 'threats' only made Mira clutch her sides and fall on her back in peals of laughter. Lucy glared moodily down on the Takeover mage, wanting to kick her while she was down, but even that might've incited the Demon's wrath, so… the blonde settled for taking the bag of Jewels from a sheepish Natsu and storming home. Natsu stared down at his girlfriend with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. That _was_ a bit mean, making Lucy handle Mira's originally designated part of the Quest.

"Ya done?"

Another bout of unrestrained giggles was his answer. A few moments later, Mira tried reining herself in.

"Y-Yeah… Just about…" Mira wheezed out and tried to sit up before falling back and kicking her feet up as laughter overtook her again. That… had been a treat. Nothing in the request had said the billionaire that owned the mansion couldn't have been injured in the process of acquiring the artifact and the evidence of its theft, Mira just hinted it was 'inadvisable', and Lucy did not disappoint in how professional she was… Really, Mira would have beaten the guy to a pulp if he tried even a fraction of what he had with Lucy, but this had been helluva lot better than some beatdown.

Was it mean? Maybe a little. Was Lucy reimbursed for the ordeal? Natsu and Mira just gave her the whole reward, which amounted to about half a year's worth of rent. Neither of them really needed the cash currently. Mira had selected the Quest 'cause she wanted to seduce Natsu a bit, but then sweet Lucy had entered the picture, and the Demon couldn't help but have a few jollies…

"What's wrong with Big Sis?" Elfman strolled over and crossed his arms as he looked to Natsu for answers.

Natsu sweatdropped.

"Seduction Quest… Lucy… Heehee…" Mira tried to answer her brother, but wasn't quite able to form sentences at the moment, stuck on the floor as she was.

"Mira picked a seduction assignment, and Lucy happened to need rent money." Natsu deadpanned as Elfman's face had scrunched together at his sister's less than adequate explanation. "She might've fudged the truth a little when explaining to Lucy what she had to do, and, well, um… Let's just say Mira had a great time, while Lucy was traumatized a bit."

Natsu continued to laugh nervously as Elfman scrutinized him. That _was_ all that had happened…

"Okay… as long as that was all the _fun_ you had…" Elfman stated suspiciously before turning to walk away.

"Ohhh, but Natsu would be oh so much fun in bed! I want kids, Natsu! Seven devious little Pyros! So cute!"

Natsu tried to shush her, but Elfman was already looking over at him warily again. They'd already had that overprotective big-little brother talk! No need for an encore!

"Miiira!" Natsu whined and tugged at his hair as Elfman began dragging him off for another round of that discussion. Better safe than sorry, right?

Damn the Demon was making a comeback…

* * *

 **Author's Note: Another lighthearted episode. I did not anticipate this hobby piece to be so well-received… I really had no big plans for plot or anything; just a loose plan to eventually bring Erza around. But now I kinda feel obligated to put more thought into future chapters… So it might be a bit before the next update, sorry guys. ^^;**

 **I will reiterate that this will likely remain NaMiZa, and no others. If only because I don't want Natsu to be a chick magnet and steal every Fairy Tail girl from their beaus or potential beaus. I've nothing particularly against such harem fics; the ones I tune into are usually humorous and pretty well-done. But for now I'll keep it NaMiZa, 'cause that's what I'm most 'confident' working with for now…**

 **I guess I won't close the door fully, just don't get y'all's hopes up. Ya hear? lol Regardless of whether or not I bring in other girls, Lucy will never, ever be a part of the harem. Ever. The word Nalu isn't even recognized by my word processor (and will never be), so that should tell you how I feel about it… Jerza is much the same. It's why I haven't given them much detail in their relationship. :P**

 **Hope you enjoyed it a little!**


	4. Chapter 4

Natsu sighed miserably as his fishing lure bobbed in the water. Winter had arrived once again, with its dead trees and all the snow piled on the ground, but the cold temperatures never bothered the Fire Dragon Slayer. Anytime of the year was good enough for fishin'. That wasn't what was bothering him.

The S-Class Trials would be coming up in a week's time, and Natsu Dragneel wouldn't be a proctor in them. They would be held at Tenrou Island in spite of what happened over a decade ago… But then again, what could possibly go wrong this time? Zeref was finally resting in peace, and Acnologia was cinders. Things would probably go off without a hitch.

Didn't make Natsu feel any better. Yeah, he was happy for everyone who would be going, but that was just it. He wouldn't be going. Erza overlooked him again. Mira, Laxus, and Gray would be testing the candidates. Apparently, there was something else that Erza wanted him to do, and they had a meeting scheduled later today to discuss it. Natsu loathed these official meetings. Even though Erza was actually talking to him, she wasn't _talking_ to him, y'know? He'd tried so often in the past to get her to lighten up during these things, but being Guild Master musta been super stressful, 'cause she was flexible as an ironing board with her no-nonsense attitude.

They were Master and honored S-Class Wizard. And Kami help him, Natsu was starting to come to terms with that. The only thing that made it bearable was that she was happy… Well, that, and he supposed Mira helped, too. Her playful attitude, while it got him into trouble sometimes (Elfman…), was slowly making him feel _normal_ again. He wasn't just some guy moping around the Guild when he wasn't on a mission with Happy.

"There you are! I thought I might find you out here."

… And then he supposed there was her. Lisanna. Unlike Elfman, she was cool with him 'n Mira dating. But then… Natsu could do anything within reason, and Lisanna would still be his friend. She was just sweet like that.

"Hiya!" Natsu tried to sound upbeat, but his attempt kinda… flopped. He grinned lopsidedly at the sight of the youngest Strauss sibling in a winter coat, skirt, boots, mittens, and scarf. "Happy tell ya I was out here?"

Lisanna shook her head.

"No, he's still back at the Guild. This place is just close to where we made that hut, remember? For hatching Happy's egg?"

"Oh… yeah…" Natsu trailed off as he briefly looked around. It'd been a long time since those days, but he reckoned that was the reason this was subconsciously one of his favorite fishing spots. Go figure. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully before returning to stare at his lure in the water. Then, abruptly, he grinned at his childhood friend. "So what's up? Need anything, or did ya just wanna hang out?"

Lisanna smiled softly at his forced façade. Similar to Mira, she was adept at reading the Dragon Slayer in general – wasn't limited to body language. His voice, his eyes… Try as he might, the pink-head couldn't hide anything from her if he tried. And Natsu knew that.

"Is it because Erza didn't pick you to help with the Trials?" Lisanna guessed effortlessly, to which the Dragon Slayer winced and gave a minute nod as confirmation. The silver-haired woman smiled apologetically even when he didn't look up at her again. "You don't need to put up a strong front for me, Natsu. Erza's trying her best, but she's distant with everybody these days."

… Well, except with Jellal, but Natsu knew what she meant. And he knew that it was true enough; he just took the redhead's change the hardest. That was another thing that made this whole ordeal bearable – Erza really was just doing her job. The Old Man just had years, decades to adjust to the workload and make it look easy. Not even Erza could make that transition seamlessly.

"Thanks." Natsu told Lisanna wholeheartedly, a small, tentative smile on his face. He looked back down at the water as he reflected on how it was Mira and Lisanna who tried the hardest to cheer him up (well, aside from Happy, obviously). Weird how he was dating Mira when it was Lisanna he was seemingly closest to all these years. Was he secretly masochistic?

… No. Don't answer that. Natsu Dragneel did not take joy in getting his ass kicked. No. As Elfman would say, he was a man! … But… isn't it a _little_ weird that he would only listen if somebody put him in his place (Erza) or terrified him into behaving (Mira)…?

No, no, no. He was not gonna think about that. He was a free spirit, 'n it just took a little backbone to cool him down. That was the story, and he was stickin' to it, damn it!

… Mira would sooo never let him live it down if he let that untrue perspective on things slip in front of her.

"You were thinking something dirty just now, weren't you?!" Lisanna giggled at the face Natsu was making. His face had gone beet red and he was shaking his head rapidly. "Wait 'til I tell Mira!"

"I AM NOT A PERVERT!" Natsu yelled with a tick mark on his forehead and bared teeth as he pumped his fist in the air agitatedly. "The Old Man and Gildarts did not corrupt me like that! I WAS STRONG AND RESISTED!"

"I'm sure you did!" Lisanna agreed with him innocently. A little too innocently. "So because you're so strong to resist our feminine wiles, does that mean you bat for the other team…? Mira might need to know that, too."

Natsu felt his brain break a little at the mere suggestion. Scratch that. He swore the thing shattered into a million pieces. All he could do was stare at Lisanna in gaping-mouth horror. Kinda like a fish stuck on dry land, gasping for water. There was a weird sound emanating from him, too… kinda like a choking gasp or something of that sort. Lisanna didn't seem worried about how he was one step away from being in the fetal position; Natsu was so silly.

"Is that why you're always fighting with Gray?! What about Gildarts?! Or…" Soon the silver-haired Takeover mage was sprinting for it as Natsu bolted after her with arms extended toward her, intent on getting Lisanna back a hundredfold for her incessant teasing. "Ewww! Get away from me!"

Well, Natsu wasn't sad anymore. … But he was kinda numb with rage.

* * *

"Tincan, we need to talk."

Erza looked up tiredly from the letter she was writing to see Mirajane leaning on the doorframe of the office, arms crossed over her chest. The redhead had a myriad of things to do that afternoon, and she wasn't exactly ready to get into an argument with her old rival.

"Mira… can't it wait until tomorrow? I have…"

"No, it cannot." Mira crisply cut her off, causing the scarlet knight to huff. Well, her afternoon was going to get thrown off… Some things would have to be rescheduled, since meeting with the Council took precedence.

"Well, what is it?" The scarlet knight asked dryly, not in the mood for any lip Mira might give her.

"Why didn't you pick Natsu to help out with the Trials?" Mira certainly didn't waste any time.

Erza massaged her temple.

"If Natsu asked you to try and change my mind, you can just stop here, Mira. I already told him, there's a job I need him to do, and I'm sorry it's the day of the Trials. But there's nothing I can do!"

"And I peeked at the job you wanted him to take…" Mira scowled, which was an unusual face for her to make nowadays. "Erza, there's nothing about it that's 'tailor-made' for him. No one personally requested him. You're picking him out of _convenience_ because the monster breathes fire and is only _rumored_ to be tougher to take down than most monsters these days. It's SS-Class nominally, and that's all; Gildarts could probably finish it in a couple days and be back for another assignment."

Erza swore she could feel a migraine coming on. Why was Mirajane making such a big deal out of this?

"Gildarts is away on another SSS-Class, Mira, you know that. I chose Natsu because we don't know how strong this creature is; the only pieces of concrete information we have are what you described, in addition to a pattern when it attacks villages in the area. That's all we have to go on!"

"And what? That makes it too tough for me, Laxus, or Gray?" Mira asked with narrowed, incredulous eyes.

"That's not what I…! Don't put words in my mouth! I have faith that Natsu can pinpoint the creature's location. He has a nose like no other."

Mira tapped her cheek with her index finger in frank disbelief.

"I suppose he could, but that only proves my point, y'know. We're all S-Class, Erza; if we didn't have some knack for tracking down giant beasts, we wouldn't have made it this far. Hell, Laxus might not be a 'First Generation' Dragon Slayer like Natsu, but he has heightened senses as well."

Erza felt her fist curl around the pen in her hand, tightening her grip ever so gradually.

"There's a specific Trial that I need Laxus's help with…"

"And Trials can't be reworked?" Mira continued to argue. "I know it's a pain because they need to be different every year, Erza, but c'mon! Can't you see that Natsu just wants to help out? You say you can count on Natsu to slay a monster, but is that all he's good for?"

Snap. The pen in Erza's hand snapped like a twig as she glared back at the barmaid.

"I won't be guilt-tripped, Mira! You _know_ that's not true! If you have something to say, then just come out and say it!"

"Fine!" Came Mira's icy reply. "You're overconfident in Natsu, Erza! He's not a damn doormat for you to walk on because 'he can take it' or you 'believe' in him! Have you even shared a conversation with him lately? Not as Master and Guild mage, but as actual _friends_. 'Cause I can answer for you if you're unsure. You **haven't**. Not for over a year."

Needless to say, Mira's accusations caught Erza completely off-guard. She hadn't been expecting their conversation to take this route, not in a million years. Of course Erza was peripherally aware that it'd been some time since she and the Dragon Slayer made small talk, but… really? Gray once accused her of placing too much faith in Natsu, but there was something fundamentally different about Mira's accusation…

"N-Natsu can… that is… I…"

Mira shook her head firmly at the redhead's weak attempt at a defense. Erza was only just realizing how right she really was.

"I told you, Erza. It's fine to believe that Natsu can be the champion over any adversary; hell, I believe in him, too. But even I can see that he's not infallible. He doesn't have the willpower of a hundred; Natsu's just one man. A powerful Wizard, Dragon Slayer, whatever you wanna call him, but still a man. Erza, he's put up with your aloofness in the past year because you're dear to his heart – a friend he can't begrudge. If you were anyone else, he would've moved on already and denounced you as a friend. But because he's Natsu, he's capable of enduring your attitude; it won't hold forever – I've been dreading the inevitable breaking point – but he's held it together for this long."

"…" Erza couldn't form words at this point, or even any coherent thought. She just sort of… stared listlessly into space as Mira kept on talking.

"I'll go with whatever you need for the Trials, but know that there might come a time when I won't be able to follow your orders. Not if they hurt Natsu in _any_ way." Mira told the scarlet knight sternly. "I'm only going along with it for now because it's what he would want. But you'd better find some way to make it up to him soon, or we'll be having another 'talk'…"

With this final cryptic threat, Mira stormed out of the Guild Master's office, leaving Erza alone to her thoughts and the gnawing guilt now eating away at her. After a while, the redhead simply cursed under her breath.

"Damn it…"

* * *

Mira twitched the tiniest amount as she came down the flight of stairs to the main floor of Fairy Tail. Apparently while she was away, little Lisanna had gone off and comforted her Dragon Slayer yet again without her permission… That was supposed to be her job, Mira thought as she puffed out her cheeks.

"What is going on here?"

Natsu had a devilish toothy grin on his face as he rapidly moved around Lisanna's prone form and tickled her mercilessly as she laid on the floor while laughing hysterically. Natsu hadn't quite registered his girlfriend's arrival.

"N-Natsu, stop! STOP!" Lisanna wheezed out as he just kept at it.

"Not so smart, now are ya?!" Natsu cackled as he continued the tickling for a few more moments before he abruptly stopped due to feeling a dark aura from somewhere close behind him. Natsu didn't even need to look behind him to tell… that another Punishment was nigh. "It wasn't my fault! Lisanna was teasing me, 'n…"

Natsu mechanically turned his head to face Mira, rambling excuses off his tongue fluently, but they were all for naught. Natsu _knew_ she didn't like it when he got all intimate with Lisanna like that. Mira dearly loved them both, but Natsu. was. **hers**. Did Mira need to brand him on the ass or something to stake her claim?!

In the end, the Dragon Slayer hung his head and accepted his fate as Mira dragged him away.

* * *

 **Author's Note: And the angst/drama is back… Ahhh, felt good to let Mira vent. Do keep in mind Erza will not instantly change for the better. I said it will happen gradually, and it will. I kinda wanted to ease into it, but in the end, it just didn't feel right for both Natsu and Mira to keep quiet. Sooo… Mira opened a can of worms. And the ball is now in Erza's court. XD**

 **I am still in the midst of finals, but I wanted to give you guys something because the impossible happened and Tempest35 actually read my work. I know! Cray-zee! lol In all seriousness, though, Tempest has updated Cold Tears, and it's now got extra Natza feels (and not just those of angst). Feel free to check it out and shower him with gratuity. Or, you know, just leave a fav, alert, review, whatev. That works, too. ^^**

 **Also as Tempest said, gird your loins for the coming manga chapters. No telling what may be revealed with Erza and her mother's past, but let it not dispirit you, regardless of what does come. Mayhap Nalu and Jerza will be forced down our throats in the canon, but we shan't swallow their drivel (y'know, if you don't ship those…). Fanfiction will keep Natza and so many other pairings alive for years to come! Hah-hahaha! … Okay, that's enough out of sleep-deprived me. Stop reading.**

 **Stahp! XD**


	5. Chapter 5

Natsu grunted in frustration as he moved to dodge another wide-scale attack of delicious flames. He had learned to adapt pretty quickly in this fight; it was _not_ like taking down a mindless, yet powerful S-Class beast. Did you really think that's what the big, tough SS- and SSS-Class missions entailed? There's a reason they could take so long to complete. Erza hadn't been wrong in labelling this an SS-Class mission.

Nor had she been wrong in sending backup along with him, as much as he hated to admit it…

"What now?" Jellal Fernandes asked from behind a rock outcropping across from where Natsu himself was seeking cover. Meredy was evacuating the people of the nearby village, so they didn't have to worry about that.

… Her choice in backup could stand to use a bit of improvement, though. That's just Natsu's personal preference talking.

"I'll let you know when I think of somethin'!" Natsu grunted in annoyance before rushing back into the open to unleash a quick Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame attack. He was equally quick to rush over to Jellal's outcrop.

Three things he learned pretty quickly in this battle. Simply eating the huge fire attacks the creature sent their way like a glutton wound up making himself a stationary target as he stood still to consume the attacks – and that thing did _not_ hit like a pansy; hell, it was more akin to a train going at full speed. While Natsu hadn't had the 'privilege' of literally experiencing that, he could imagine that's what it felt like. The creature's scales were _tough_.

Second, staying in one place too long made you subject to that high-speed, monstrous brute strength as it easily smashed through the bedrock outcroppings. You thought it was bad taking that out in the open, where you _knew_ it was coming? Try imagining Jellal's surprise when the creature pinpointed his position despite remaining out of sight.

And thirdly… As stated previously, this monster was far from mindless. It wasn't fighting and rampaging on pure instinct. This creature was sentient and even capable of articulating its thoughts; it was just pure malevolent. No other reason for attacking villages beyond bringing about suffering to anyone and everyone. Not unlike the Demons from the Book of Zeref, especially the ones from Tartaros; the only thing that set them apart was that this creature was unidentified as a species. It could be part-Demon for all they knew.

"I tire of this game of cat and mouse, humans… Come fight me! Your cowardice is beyond reproach."

Jellal's hand was quick to snap onto Natsu's shoulder as the Dragon Slayer growled and moved to make a futile attack on the creature.

"Natsu, stop wasting your Magic! If we can't come up with a better plan than 'keep it moving', we'll be the ones who tire out first."

Natsu breathed irritably through his nose before glancing back at the azure-haired mage in annoyance.

"This thing doesn't let us get in close, Jellal; not unless it's the one that is on the offensive. And it dodges our best attacks! Maybe it's not as durable as it makes itself out to be, but until we can get it to stay put for more than ten seconds, we're not gonna make any progress!"

"Exactly. If we can corral it into a general area, I think I can hit it with Grand Chariot. You just need to make sure to keep a safe distance."

Natsu suddenly tensed as his ears picked up the creature charging their position. Instinctually, he shoved Jellal out of harm's way while quickly stumbling back himself. No sooner had he done that than the rock wall they were hiding behind shattered into a million pieces; the creature now stood there with an amused smirk as it looked between the two mages.

"Make all the plans you like. Hide as if your life depended on it. In the end, I will always find you, because I can sense your fear and anxieties. Such weak human emotions are why you will fail!"

… So _that's_ how it pinpointed their positions every time. Damn. Not only did it look like a humanoid brute coated in scales, have a calculative mind bent on ending life and causing suffering, it also had the perfect tracking method for accomplishing just that. Refusing to be overwhelmed by the creature's unique tracking ability, Natsu rushed forward with a fire-coated fist and fire at his feet to propel him forward, but the monster made one smooth, fluid motion and snatched Jellal up off the ground before swinging him at Natsu and sending the both of them flying backward. Natsu skidded along the ground even as Jellal came to a rest, flat on the ground again. The Dragon Slayer leaped back out of instinct and cringed as the monster lunged high into the air before coming to crash down on Jellal like a boulder.

Natsu sought to strike the creature before it landed on Jellal, but he'd been a bit late in unleashing a controlled form of his Lightning-Flame Dragon's Roar. It still struck true, but now Jellal was severely injured, and there was no telling if the monster would be down from such a 'simple' attack. So Natsu immediately rushed forward to get at the creature while it was lying on its back now several feet from Jellal.

The monster did indeed get back up, but the Lightning must have paralyzed it somewhat, because its moves were now sluggish. It failed in defending itself from the harsh, unrelenting melee attacks that Natsu unleashed on it in quick succession. After getting it airborne from one last uppercut, Natsu decided to try and finish it with one of the most intense attacks he could muster – Crimson Lotus: Exploding Lightning Blade. The powerful vortex overtook the creature, and it did not get up again as it came to be sprawled out a good distance from where Natsu now stood, raggedly breathing.

"Try getting up from that…" Natsu challenged, and allowed a small smirk when the creature failed to do so. "Hah…"

When Natsu had sufficiently recovered enough, he made his way back over to Jellal, who was struggling and failing to get back up. Natsu's eyebrows raised curiously before he reached down and tried to assist the man in getting up.

"C'mon, Jellal; don't tell me you got hurt that badly!"

"That thing… could demolish bedrock formations…" Jellal deadpanned. It seriously felt like a boulder fell on top of him when that creature came crashing down.

Natsu sighed as Jellal accepted his hand and shakily stood back up. While she wouldn't blame him, Erza would be worrying over Jellal like crazy. Didn't matter if she wouldn't blame him, though – Natsu blamed himself for not being fast enough to save the azure-haired mage from harm.

"What happened?!" Meredy exclaimed as she came running up to the two. Looked like the evacuation was complete.

"Nothing I can't come back from. Don't worry, Meldy." Jellal promised the pinkette with the most reassuring smile he could muster. Unfortunately, however…

"Oh, I doubt you'll 'come back' from this, human. We'll all die here together."

Everyone's blood ran cold as all eyes turned to the creature, which was still lying on the ground in painful agony. The only difference was that now its chest seemed to be glowing a brilliant yellowish red. Undeterred, the creature went on to explain itself. "My kind does not accept defeat gracefully, you see… We are quite… explosive about it. Don't bother to try and escape. The average explosion my kind can muster in death roughly takes up ten kilometers… But as you can imagine, I am not quite… 'average'. Who knows how large of a scar I will leave on this landscape? None of us will know."

"There are… more of you?" Jellal whispered in horror as he leaned on Meredy. They had believed this creature to be unique.

The monster made a rasping laughing noise.

"Ohhh, yes… But you needn't worry. We are a dying breed; for all I know, I am the last of my kind. It will take your deaths, but just imagine how relieved your precious Guild will be with me gone!" As it could hear Natsu running over to attempt to stop it, the creature flatly remarked, "I wouldn't do anything if I were you. Wounding me further might just set me off early. You don't have a death wish that badly… right?"

Natsu gnashed his teeth in frustration but stopped in his tracks. Ten kilometers… Not only would they not be able to outrun that blast, but there were evacuated villagers who were doubtless within that blast radius. What options did they have? Natsu refused to just roll over and die, or more importantly, let _anyone_ die. But no matter how much he wracked his brain, no clean solution was coming to mind. They didn't have any Magic to just teleport the bastard far away, and Natsu imagined there wasn't some 'failsafe' to stop the explosion from going off. This was a suicidal move, after all.

Even so… The only thing he could think of…

"Meldy. Get Jellal outta here, and try to get the villagers as far away as you can." Natsu suddenly spoke up in a grave voice. The pinkette looked over at the Dragon Slayer with wide eyes.

"What about you?! I can't just leave you here!"

"I hafta try to contain the blast, Meredy… That's all we got left. Can't stop it. Can't outrun it." Natsu looked back at her sharply when the pinkette still didn't move. "Meredy, please! We don't have much time!"

"Natsu…" The Maguilty user murmured, hating how this was turning out. Natsu was a Fire Dragon Slayer who had proven himself time and again, but this… Could he contain something of this magnitude?

"And what will happen to you?" Jellal asked calmly, not bothering to question if Natsu 'could'… He knew better than to question the man Erza trusted so implicitly.

Natsu grimaced, but turned away to hide it as much as possible.

"That doesn't matter. Please, just save the villagers." His words sounded a bit forced, strained, but Natsu didn't care. He'd be damned if he didn't at least _try_. _'Erza was right about me being perfect for the job…'_

Jellal stared at the back of Natsu's head with the most complex emotions showing in his eyes. When he spoke up again, it was to address Meredy.

"… Let's go, Meldy. We need to alert the people."

"Jellal, we can't just…!" Meredy cried out, yet stopped when Jellal looked at her with a grave expression. He knew they would be of no help to Natsu here, as much as he wished they could… Meredy did eventually acquiesce to Jellal's silent plea, and reluctantly turned to leave, stopping as the azure-haired mage spoke up one more time.

"Erza and Mira won't take this well… You'd better not die."

"… I'm sorry." Was all Natsu could say at this point. He couldn't promise anything; all he could do was what he always did. Do the right thing. Erza taught him that, raised him to be that way. He'd been overtaken by Fire-based attacks before – fire was the bread and butter of his repertoire. If anyone could contain this thing, it would be him.

Would it be too much for him? Quite possibly. But Natsu Dragneel didn't dwell on what 'could' go wrong. He stopped having doubts long ago. He _would_ keep everyone safe. He _would_ make it back to Fairy Tail. Natsu had not only promised Mira that he would, but Erza as well. He didn't go back on promises.

* * *

 _"Waddya mean you're sending Jellal and Meredy along with me?! I can take care of the job myself, Erza!" Natsu complained as he slammed his hands down on Erza's desk. But the scarlet knight shook her head, undeterred by his outburst._

 _"Natsu, I… You're absolutely right, but I… you've been through so much…" Erza tried explaining her reasoning, but quickly found herself tongue-tied. She inwardly added three words that might've dampened the Dragon Slayer's annoyance and anger._ 'Because of me...'

 _Natsu sighed as Erza eventually fell silent and looked down at her desk, unable to meet his gaze. He stood up straight and half-turned away to leave._

 _"I understand, Erza… You're the Master, so I gotta go with what you say…" He grunted annoyingly._

 _Erza felt her eyes widen at his words. It really wasn't like that at all this time! Erza had every intention of closing the gap that had come between them. She knew that her attempt at trying to make amends was awkward, but this was hardly 'all' of it. They needed to have a talk when they both got back. Sending Jellal and Meredy along was just a precaution; she'd taken far too many liberties with Natsu over the past year, ignoring his feelings and, as Mirajane put it, used him as a glorified doormat._

 _"N-Natsu!" Erza called out to him as he made his way to the door. He stopped as his hand was on the handle, but he didn't turn to look back at her. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry. P-Please just make it back in one piece… We need to talk!"_

 _Well, that was a little bit better. She was able to voice a little more of her guilt-ridden thoughts. But now she waited with bated breath to see how Natsu would respond._

 _"Don't worry about me!" Natsu said, turning his head back to her slightly to shoot her a grin. "I'll be back before ya know it, and I guess we can talk. Hope it's not to punish me for somethin' stupid I did, though. If it is, I might just stay away for a while."_

 _"Idiot…" Erza weakly smiled at his attempt at humor. Damn it, why couldn't they just talk now?!_

 _… That's right. Because Erza had put off this little 'briefing' until the last minute, so there was just no time. For either of them. Even if they did, however… Erza wondered if she would have the courage to breach this topic with the Dragon Slayer. She'd wounded him deeply, and she just wasn't sure she had the right…_

 _In the end, Natsu left her office on that slightly happier note. Nevertheless, he, too, was dreading the discussion to come, somewhat… He could tell how uncomfortable Erza was. It wasn't going to be easy on either of them, but they needed to have it. So for that reason… and for Mira's sake… Natsu would make it back._

* * *

Far away on Tenrou Island, Erza felt an ominous chill in the air as she looked out in a seemingly random direction. Mira noted the frown marring her face, as the two briefly met up just after Erza began the second stage of the Trials for the participants.

"Something wrong, Erza?" Mira asked with a touch of concern, having felt a similar ominous chill in that moment.

"N-No. It's nothing." Erza answered calmly, closing her eyes and taking a steady breath. _'At least… It better be 'nothing'.'_

Mira's brow furrowed as she clearly didn't buy Erza's assurance to the contrary. Was it about Natsu? Something better not have happened to him…

On this note, the pair settled into an uncomfortable silence, the only sound being the breeze floating through the trees around them.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Moving right along… Inspiration came all over the place for this chapter. Maybe the 'ten kilometers' bit will sound familiar, but I don't care. I's a drama llama. XD**

 **That said, if any of you are interested in the music I was listening to while writing the chap, Youtube 'Batman Arkham Knight Inner Demon OST'. That scene in the game was another source of inspiration here. Just what will happen next…? Well, I suppose you can roughly speculate. Angst-y goodness to come! But also a little Hurt/Comfort with maybe a dash of Romance. We'll just hafta see.**

 **As always, thanks so much for the support! Hope you enjoyed this a little.**


	6. Chapter 6

They managed to alert the people and get them travelling to a safe distance as much as possible. Frankly, they'd already gotten off to a fairly good start – already a mile and half away from where the fighting had been going on, roughly. But as they moved along, Jellal and Meredy couldn't help watching the brilliant spherical flash of light that suddenly appeared and grew to distressing levels. If Natsu couldn't pull off a miracle here…

"He really is quite amazing." Jellal mused with a remorseful smile as the sphere stopped in its growth. Eyeballing it, Jellal estimated the radius to be about a mile – maybe a mile and a half. If it had gone a quarter of a mile further… Well. There would be no 'if', because they would be dead.

Meredy's lips were pressed into a thin line as she watched with wide, worried eyes. Not particularly out of concern for her own life, but for the brash Dragon Slayer literally taking the blow for them.

"There should've been another way…" The pinkette whispered, to which Jellal squeezed her shoulder comfortingly as he leaned on her. They'd been through this same scenario with Ultear, and back then they didn't even know where she was or what she was doing.

Hopefully they wouldn't lose him, too.

No more words were exchanged as the explosion continued to go off for what seemed like an eternity. It didn't grow in size, but it would without Natsu's intervention. It was the only thing keeping the hope in their hearts alive. When the light finally did die down, shrinking below the line of trees until there was nothing left to see, Jellal switched over to leaning on a villager while Meredy ran off to check up on Natsu. He wouldn't hold her back from doing that. Jellal only hoped that Erza and Mira would forgive them…

* * *

Natsu had been a sight to behold when Meredy went back for him. The fact that the Dragon Slayer was covered in severe burn marks all over showed just how powerful that explosion had been; his clothes were in tatters, and he was lying on the ground unmoving. The only thing that kept Meredy from breaking down was the subtle falling and rising of Natsu's chest, and even then, the Maguilty user cried over his wounded state.

Obviously, their priority was getting him to Porlyusica. Wendy was taking the S-Class Trials, so the aged woman was their only hope of getting Natsu immediate help. The villagers were kind enough to at least take them back to Magnolia – and with their guidance, to Porlyusica's home on the outskirts. It was an uneasy trip for the Fairy Tail mages; Meredy was keeping a keen eye on Natsu, and Jellal wasn't sure what he could say. He wanted to comfort his friend, but the words failed to come to him. So for a time, he wrapped the pinkette up in a hug; it was the only assurance he could offer, since he refused to just sit there helplessly. Natsu didn't stir in the slightest on the half day trip back, but he gave no sign of getting worse either.

Nevertheless, he managed to stay stable, somehow.

"… Bring him in." Porlyusica patiently declared when they reached her home. That was a quality of the aged healer that the mages of Fairy Tail had come to appreciate and rely upon. Perhaps to a degree she could seem reluctant or bitter at times, but ultimately she never lost her loyalty to the Guild, even after Makarov's passing. She wouldn't turn anyone from her doorstep if they truly needed help. Once they were inside, she first turned to Jellal. "Now… Is there anything I can do for you first? You appear to be in a lot of pain as well."

The azure-haired mage merely shook his head.

"I'll be fine; if the Guild's infirmary won't patch me up, I can afford a few days' bed rest until Wendy returns. Natsu… should be the main priority." Jellal sighed tiredly. At Porlyusica's expectant gaze, Meredy gave a basic rundown of the Quest.

Toward the end of the tale, the elder pinkette rubbed her chin as her brow furrowed. She had lived on Earthland for many years, seen and heard many things. It might not have been Natsu's case especially, but perhaps something about the beast that they faced… Something was tugging at the corner of her mind. A very distant memory, but she couldn't quite place it.

… Regardless, that peculiar familiarity could afford to wait.

"I will do what I can. Go and get some rest."

At Porlyusica's dismissal, Meredy instantly moved to object.

"C-Can't we stay here while he…!" She looked to Jellal when he placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head slowly.

"It will do none of us any good if we hover over his bedside, Meldy. Let Porlyusica do what she can; we should return to the Guild, anyway. We can't let them worry about us as well."

Meredy chewed her bottom lip and stole a glance at the unconscious Dragon Slayer before reluctantly agreeing to take Jellal back to the Guild. But she would return – it wasn't fair to Natsu otherwise. Mira, Lisanna, Wendy… Most of their friends were off on Tenrou Island. No one should have to wake up and feel alone… Of course Porlyusica was a friendly face, but that would make it seem like they dumped him at her place and left him there. Meredy didn't want Natsu to feel that way at all.

It was those kinds of thoughts that kept the Maguilty user from fretting over any possible… side effects that might befall Natsu for saving them.

* * *

A few days later, everyone had returned from the Trials on Tenrou Island. As anticipated, Juvia and Gajeel regained the rank they once held as members of Phantom Lord, long ago. And while the atmosphere in the Guild was cheery and celebratory, it soon became apparent that something (or someone) was distinctly missing. Seeing Jellal and Meredy sitting at a table with Cobra and Kinana helped Erza to connect the dots, and she frowned as she made her way over to them.

"Where's Natsu?" The redhead asked with a fraction of trepidation creeping into her voice. Any trace of levity in the group instantly vanished when this question was posed; Meredy chewed on her lip, Cobra grimaced, Kinana winced, and Jellal fell silent. It was his silence that Erza found most unsettling. "Jellal… please tell me Natsu is okay."

"Natsu is… alive." The azure-haired mage chose his words carefully. Mirajane noticed this the most when she made her way over. "He contained an immense explosion when the creature tried to take us and the villagers with it, but as a result… He is currently comatose, and Porlyusica determined he absorbed too much Magic. Far more than even his theoretical 'container' should have managed to take in. Yet… he did. He saved us."

No one missed how Mira had run off the moment he mentioned Natsu's condition. Really, it was to be expected; if she was volatile enough later on, Jellal was anticipating a physical confrontation. After all, the whole reason he and Meldy had been sent along as backup was to prevent this sort of situation. And Jellal willingly accepted full responsibility for his failure. He hadn't felt so helpless in such a long time; and yet even so, Natsu never gave into despair. The Dragon Slayer was far better of a man than he.

"Couldn't you have run… or… anything…?" Erza whispered in a shell-shocked, worried tone. Jellal shook his head, but it was Cobra who answered for him.

"Apparently, that thing would've covered ten kilometers – that's around six miles. No way they woulda been able to outrun that."

Erza winced and conceded the Poison Dragon Slayer's point. Even so… She couldn't help feeling an immense sense of guilt as her heart seemed to constrict on itself. Bringing her clenched fist to her chest, Erza stared off blankly as she tried to process her emotions. Of course what happened was terrible, and she would likely blame herself for some time… but… Natsu made it back. He was _alive_. No matter how roughed up he was, Natsu made it back to her… them. To them. She didn't really have a right claiming any sort of ownership, especially because he was with Mira, but… The relief in his return was palpable. Of course he had to make a full recovery still, but Erza would not, _could not_ entertain the notion that he might not make it. Natsu was more, _far more_ than just a friend to her… hell, was he even family? Fairy Tail was her family – Mira, Bisca, Elfman, even the old perverts like Macao and Wakaba… Every one of them was family to her. But Natsu transcended even that, because he'd done so much for her, even ignoring all the times he'd saved her both literally and metaphorically. Erza would sooner cut off a limb than lose Natsu.

And what has she done to honor that bond ever since becoming Guild Master? Trampled all over it. She gave him the shiny promotion he'd been pining after for years, and then she just… took him for granted. Disregarded his feelings. Put a chasm between them because she got so caught up in the new duties required of her – and even that was a weak defense in itself. After all, she had the time to deepen her relationship with Jellal. Why in the world did it take her this long to see it? It was almost as if… the moment they didn't have an imminent threat, or some grandiose competition to dominate, Natsu… receded into the back of her mind. While that may in part be truthful, it wasn't totally accurate. After all, she took Quests with him, Lucy, Gray, Wendy, Happy, and Carla all the time, back before Alvarez and Tartaros.

What was wrong with her? Surely becoming Guild Master hadn't jaded her… There had to be something else to it. Something she wasn't seeing… or acknowledging…

"You should go see him, Erza." The redhead blinked as her boyfriend pulled her out of her thoughts. Her eyes immediately panned over to him. "Porlyusica says he should wake up soon – his condition has been getting better day by day, despite the excess of Magic. He'll have to deal with that when he wakes up, but I'm sure he'll want to see you."

"…" Erza failed to formulate a response to that encouragement. At least, a vocal one. Her mind was still awhirl with thoughts and feelings. The scarlet knight's eyes fell to the floor once more before she ambled off, essentially placing her body on autopilot. Jellal, Meredy, Cobra, and Kinana stared after her in various degrees of concern, but didn't otherwise do anything to stop or go with her. Some things you just had to sort out on your own.

* * *

Mira's eyes softened when they landed on the slumbering Dragon Slayer. Porlyusica had been kind enough to give her some time alone with the pink-head, even though he hadn't awoken yet. Well, she wasn't quite _alone_ … But she couldn't bear to ask who was perhaps Natsu's best friend to leave his side for a while.

"Are you sure you're okay, Mira? You guys just got back from Tenrou, didn't ya?" The blue exceed asked with a touch of concern as he nibbled on a mackerel. The silver-haired mage mustered her biggest smile, but he could tell that it didn't quite meet her eyes.

"I'm fine, Happy… I just... I wanted to see Natsu as soon as I could." Mira answered quietly, her eyes lingering on Natsu. She was still a bit worried for him after what Cobra said, but as usual the aged healer had done a pretty good job in attending to Natsu's injuries. The Dragon Slayer was all bandaged up and looked to be fitfully resting, and not like he'd been through another life-or-death battle.

Even so… There was that 'small' matter of the surplus Magic in his system. Porlyusica cryptically warned that something would have to be done about that when he woke up; it was too early to tell what possible side effects it could have, as there had never been such an extreme case as Natsu's. Control over his Magic might be the least of his worries – but that would most certainly be an issue, regardless of what else happened. It would be like trying to take a drop of water out of a lake… with a bucket… that had a massive hole in it… Yeah, that's the kind of picture Porlyusica painted when she described Natsu's case. How could Mira not be concerned for the Pyro?

"I shoulda been there…" Happy remarked sullenly as his ears drooped. "Natsu wanted me to stay behind 'cause he didn't wanna put me in danger, but we do everything together! I've always been there for Natsu!"

He looked up at the silver-haired mage when she patted his head consolingly with a slightly sad smile on her face.

"It wasn't your fault, Happy… Natsu had his reasons, I'm sure." Mira's smile morphed into a frown as the gears in her head began to turn just thinking about those 'reasons'… Doubtless it had to do with his teammates… or teammate, singular. Natsu and Meldy got along swimmingly from what the silver-haired mage could tell; it always comes back to Jellal, though.

Just what had Erza been thinking, sending those two on a mission together? Trying to make amends by sending someone you can trust is all well and good, but did Erza even take into account their history? Did she consider Natsu's feelings even remotely? The answer to all of those questions was most likely a resounding **no**. Erza probably saw what she wanted to see – that Natsu wasn't outright aggressive with Jellal anymore. Everything must have been forgiven and forgotten, right? **Wrong**.

Mira knew Natsu a lot better than Erza currently did. Better than she probably had for quite some time. Back when they were fighting the Balam Alliance and Alvarez, Natsu didn't have that much interaction with the azure-haired mage. Much of that could be chalked up to how battlefields unfolded, but Mira knew better. Sure, she wasn't there for the fight against Oracion Seis, or even that first battle against Jellal at the Tower of Heaven, but she'd heard bits and pieces of both incidents. The first one Natsu was rightly pissed off at Jellal for trying to sacrifice Erza and using her friends against her – hell, Mira would've knocked the azure-haired mage's block off if she'd been there. That anger didn't fade away after Jellal's supposed 'death'; they'd all just assumed the man had perished, Natsu especially, and that should have been the end of that.

But then Oracion Seis did the unbelievable and brought him back – or more accurately, recovered his comatose body and used Wendy to awaken him. _Of course_ Natsu's anger flared again; why wouldn't it? Never mind the countless people he tortured and killed in his mad scheme to 'revive' Zeref, the blue-haired bastard had hurt, on multiple levels, someone very dear to Natsu's heart. And what was the end result of the Oracion Seis incident? The Council had the man arrested, as was within their rights. Mira heard from Gray and Lucy how Natsu spearheaded the effort to stop the arrest, but it didn't take much guesswork for Mira to deduce what really happened. It wasn't for Jellal's sake that he spoke out against the Council. Even though the blue-haired amnesiac, at the time, had helped to defeat the leader of Oracion Seis, those bitter, furious feelings of Natsu never truly dissipated. It was displaced until such a time they could properly 'talk it out'.

It was _all_ for Erza's sake. Natsu tried to do what Erza struggled to hold back, all because things were left unresolved between the two childhood 'friends'. Because despite all the pain that Jellal put her through… he was still someone dear to her heart, against all the odds. And him failing to recall his past actions put a damper on the whole issue of resolution. Despite how dimwitted Natsu can be at times, he isn't brainless nor is he ignorant to actions and events going on around him. You could say he's especially sharp when it comes to what is important to his precious people. Hell, if it's within his power, he'll put aside his own feelings and even his own wellbeing and make it so you can be happy. That's the kind of man Natsu Dragneel is. That's the kind of man Mirajane Strauss fell in love with.

And that's the kind of man Erza Scarlet had been taking for granted, to put it _nicely_. Mira preferred the term 'glorified doormat' as a more accurate description.

"Hey, Mira… You're not angry with Natsu, right?"

Mira blinked as she turned back to the Exceed, her frown unconsciously lessening while her furrowed brow smoothed out.

"Hmm? Why would I be angry at Natsu, Happy? He did nothing wrong."

"Yeah. Just wanted to make sure." Happy smiled tentatively at the silver-haired mage, which she willingly returned. Almost as if flipping a switch, Happy's eyes expanded as he batted his eyelashes and made a cute pose. "You _looove_ him!"

Mirajane's cheeks pinked just a smidge as she tried to play along with Happy's game of cheering her up. No, she wasn't mad at Natsu. She'd probably never be truly mad at him. But Erza… If she didn't clean up her act soon… They might need to have 'words', and not the friendly variety.

* * *

Erza, meanwhile, had made it out all the way to Porlyusica's home, but she couldn't bring herself to enter. Never mind the guilt that gnawed away at her – Erza just couldn't disrupt Mira's time with Natsu, regardless of whether he was awake or still asleep. The redhead had no right to intrude – or at least, that's what she thought.

In the end, Erza indecisively stood outside Porlyusica's home for over an hour before turning around and leaving. She wasn't going to hold off their meeting forever, just… just until Erza could muster the strength to approach him. Which would probably be when he was alone… or at least when Mira wasn't around.

Kami, this would probably be a while…

* * *

Well, a week passed, and Natsu only woke up in brief spans of time, always relapsing into an unconscious state before he could maintain a conversation with any of his friends. This now included friends outside of Fairy Tail, as the Guild Master of Sabertooth and one of his closest confidants rushed out to Magnolia when they heard of the Fire Dragon Slayer's condition. When you _reeeally_ think about it, it was bound to happen at some point. It was only a marvel that it took more than a week for Sting Eucliffe to catch wind of it, considering he was… well… to put it delicately, a fanboy. Of Natsu Dragneel, that is.

"What's yer problem, punk? You don't get cutsies just 'cause of rank!"

Blondie butted heads with the raven-haired Dragon Slayer that was… negotiating with him.

"Hey, I've gotta hurry and get to a Masters' Conference! I didn't think you guys would have a _line_ that went way past the front door!" Sting grouched as he suppressed the urge to punch Gajeel in the face. Barely.

"Considerin' he's been waking up sporadically… YEAH, THERE'S A LINE!" The Iron Dragon Slayer bellowed as he gritted his teeth.

Indeed, even as the two Dragon Slayers were on the verge of beating the snot out of one another, there was a fairly lengthy line extending outside of Porlyusica's home. Now normally, she would have forbidden such a thing, as she could barely stand being around several humans for lengthy periods of time, but seeing as how they were all worried for Natsu, and she needed to keep monitoring him, well… The worst she did was devise 'visiting hours'. No one earlier than nine in the morning, everyone had to go home by five – no ifs, ands, or buts.

Well, a small exception was made for Mira and Happy, but in fairness they rarely abused that small allowance. With this kind of system in place, combined with Natsu waking up occasionally, of course there were going to be people who wanted to get in to see the Pyro. Lots and looots of people…

"E-Easy now, Sting… If all else fails, we can just come back after the Conference." Rogue tried to assuage his longtime friend… mostly so he wouldn't trade blows with _his_ idol. Rogue couldn't comfortably say who he would side with if such a match broke out – frankly, he'd probably sit helpless on the sidelines. No desire to hurt either his idol or Sting.

Isn't it funny how a fan of Natsu can't get along with one of said Dragon Slayer's rivals? It was quite amazing that Sting and Rogue got along as well as they did.

"No way! I only just heard about Natsu, and I gotta show my support! This chump has probably been in there to see him plenty of times!"

"HEY!" Gajeel growled, but was stopped when Sting went on while easily disregarding him.

"And anyway… What's Loke doing here? Ain't he that blonde's Celestial Spirit?"

Loke, who was a few spots ahead of the squabbling Slayers, smiled and waved back at the blond.

"Yeah, well… Mira's in there with Lucy right now… and Lisanna, Levy, and a few of the other girls… I thought it best to just wait out here, where there's little, ah, temptation…" To flirt, that is. Mira was still Demon Mira, after all.

Both Iron and White Dragon Slayers stared deadpan at the Celestial Spirit. Even Rogue's stare was a bit dry now.

"You were kicked out, weren't you?" Sting grumbled, to which he received a sheepish chuckle in return. Wasn't his fault he had to keep up his game… Oh wait. Yes it was.

"Don't think I'm lettin' that comment slide, punk! You ain't gettin' ahead of me!" Gajeel's face widened into a sinister grin as he began pummeling the blond. Of course Sting began fighting back… which inevitably drew a few more people into it due to a mixture of violation of space and boredom.

The little red Exceed just cheered his best pal on.

"You got this, Sting! Show him he's messin' with the wrong guy!"

Panther Lily stared up at the raven-haired Dragon Slayer who was massaging his temples in concern.

"Aren't you going to join the fight?"

"No… I can't choose between them. It wouldn't be fair to either of them!" Rogue groaned.

"Fro thinks so, too!" His little Exceed buddy piped up with his usual innocent grin. Panther Lily merely shrugged as they watched the fight begin to escalate. This wasn't madness… This was Fairy Tail.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I wanted to write a bit more, but… with the mood changing abruptly, it didn't feel right to go back to serious. We'll get back to that next time, though. For now, let's end on a slightly happier note… even with Natsu's condition. :P**

 **That said, I have some ideas for how things will progress from here. It's not all gonna be happy and warm and fuzzy. There's still wonderful, wonderful angsty goodness to come. A lot of the introspection here is brought to you by thoughts exchanged by Tempest35 and myself as we chatted about… Jerza. I'm sure you can imagine the kinds of things we discussed as we looked at it somewhat objectively. The overall verdict is that we feel that it's fine with Erza being Jellal's redemption, but… don't pair them at the same time. Tempest35 especially remarked how 'illogical' Erza's infatuation with Jellal was, considering their brief history together (compare how long she's been around the guy with how long she's been around Natsu, go on; the difference in years is striking) amongst other factors; I wholeheartedly agreed. XD**

 _ **That**_ **all said, maybe some will argue the amount of time together isn't relevant… Well, I assure you we had a lot more to say about the Jerza ship. Which I may or may not vent through here (yeah… already did a little…).**

 **I digress, though. Lots going on in the manga that I could talk at length about but won't. The gist you all need to get is that as a Natza shipper, I have not given up hope even this late in the game. It helps immensely that Nalu was never Mashima's original plan; we don't know what he'll do, in the end, so try and stay positive, eh? … Even when Jellal and Erza meet up again somewhere toward the end, because I** _ **know**_ **it's gonna happen. Grr.**

 **Point is, don't let other shippers get you down. We're approaching the end, so it's only gonna get crazier from here on out.**

 **I will say I'm happy OVA 8 came out, like… almost a month ago. ^^; Probably my fav omake of FT. I know, I know… 'YAXON, you perv!' … Try and say that with a straight face, I dare you. Can't, can ya? Not with this series. We're aaall perverts here. It's inevitable. XD**

 **Lastly, I just wanna thank y'all for tuning in. View count is pretty consistent in that it's past 1k for every chapter, so I gotta be doing something right. lol And even Kjblau has joined us – welcome, welcome. :D 'Slayer's Pride' is one of the best fanfics out there, and he penned it, so go check it out if ya haven't. Muuuch better than this, at least in my opinion. I tried to keep the Natza ship alive while we went into a slow period these last few months, but I've got nothing on the likes of Kjblau, Kuroyagi, SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan, dude932, SamuraiFlash344, and heck, I'll even throw in Tempest35. Hehe. Quantity's nice, but quality's sooo much better. That's what sets them and me apart – but don't worry, I'm doing my best to improve.**

 **Also… I talk a lot about Natza, even though this fic is NaMiZa. Just goes to show what I'm most passionate about, though.**


	7. Chapter 7

Natsu grimaced as he steeled himself for the coming blast. It was a bit late to contemplate running away; he wouldn't get very far, and that would just get everyone else killed, too. And as bitter as he was about Jellal… That wasn't fair to Meldy or those villagers they'd been sent to protect. Not to mention what Jellal's death would do to Erza. What his death would do to Mira.

No, Natsu knew he needed to do this. Regardless of his personal feelings, there was no other option. To simply 'do' it – save everyone – that's what Erza would do. That's how Erza raised him to be. Perhaps to some, it was harsh to make a person live so self-sacrificially, but Natsu certainly preferred that to the alternative, expecting everything to be handed to you and depending on everyone else to take care of every crisis that arises. No one from Fairy Tail lived with that snobbish mindset; they all looked out for one another, helped build one another up.

All of Natsu's thoughts were shattered when the blast suddenly erupted. Natsu didn't pay attention to what happened to the monster's body, because he had other things to be concerned about – containing the explosion that was growing exponentially by the second. The fiery dome had overtaken him easily enough, but it did not overwhelm Natsu. He'd been at the heart of infernos before; though these flames might've been a little 'hotter' than normal, they were not as unique as Zancrow's God Slayer Magic had been. Definitely more unique than the regular stuff you can find lying around anywhere, but not _unique_.

Even so. The pain was… excruciating. The flames licking at his skin. The overwhelming scent flooding his nostrils. Hell, he hadn't managed to remain rooted in his original position – Natsu was sent skidding back several feet, at least, and he wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't some bruising after this. As experienced as Natsu was to these situations, he'd never been encapsulated in an explosion of this magnitude before. This thing was purported to cover _miles_. Yeah, definitely never 'eaten' this much before. But he would gorge himself if he had to… In order to save everyone.

His mouth was very much a vacuum as it sucked in the raging inferno. Even that began to hurt after the first few minutes, however. Much like when one needs to take periodic breaks to breathe in pockets full of air while gorging on food, Natsu was pushing himself to his limits – hell, going way beyond them – to devour this thing. He couldn't afford to take leisurely breaks to catch his breath. Lives were at stake.

 _ **'Come now… Surely a few seconds couldn't hurt.'**_ If Natsu could, he'd be grimacing from the voice that chose _this delicate moment_ to speak up… Why now? Oh yeah. 'Greatest Demon of all time'.

 _'You_ know _I can't let up for a second. Too damn risky.'_

Natsu swore he could hear the demon roll his eyes.

 _ **'All I'm saying is that it's pointless. What if you go through all this trouble and find out you're the only survivor? Hm? You'll have feasted for nothing. Well, I suppose you minimize the risk of us dying, but I think we both know we'd survive this regardless. Who did that poser think he was, trying to kill us with**_ **fire** _ **? Idiot deserved to die.'**_

In lieu of gnashing his teeth, Natsu clenched his fists in frustration. Why couldn't the 'Etherious' part of him just die with Zeref? By all accounts, it _should_ have. And yet… some part of it managed to _somehow_ survive and live on in him like a cockroach. Or more accurately, the Dragon and Demon 'Seeds' within him had fused, so when the END part of him did 'die' with Zeref, it put Natsu in a precarious situation. He was at death's doors, really, until Wendy got to him and helped him… somehow. Natsu didn't quite understand what had happened, being pretty out of it at the time.

The gist of it seemed to be that Wendy gave that 'Seed' CPR – which is totally weird and shouldn't be at all possible, but hey, don't tell Wizards from Fairy Tail what they can and can't do. It wasn't a complete 'revival' though, per se; if it had been, the Demon would probably have a little more control. END literally had no say in any of Natsu's decisions, but it sure as hell compensated for that by constantly speaking up and playing on his… weaknesses. What he thinks about on some level but never voices aloud or gives genuine thought to; everyone has thoughts like that. We all have someone we bear resentment to, no matter how much we try to deny it.

 _'Just shut up and let me work.'_ Natsu thought back bitterly as he tried to maintain focus on containing the blast.

 _ **'We both know that bastard deserved to die ages ago! Stop holding it off!'**_ The demon raged within Natsu. _**'Ten seconds, just hold your breath for ten seconds! His blood wouldn't even be on your hands!**_ **Why** _ **do you insist on torturing yourself?! He took the only woman you ever really cared about. Took her, and flaunted it in your Kami. damn. face. The bastard doesn't even deserve her, but nooo. Despite all the pain he's caused her, despite how little they actually know each other, that bitch still chose him!'**_

 _'_ Never _address Erza like that again!'_ Natsu snarled internally. Kami help him, he knew all too well where END was coming from, but that gave him no right to insult the woman that had… that had done so much for him…!

 _ **'Oho, like you haven't thought about her in that way at some point in the past year. She didn't even know she was hurting you until it was blatantly pointed out to her. How far the mighty have fallen. Once a proud sister figure we looked up to, now the Titania is a cold, unfeeling Guild Master. You**_ **know** _ **she deserves a taste of the pain we've felt. Jellal's death would be letting her off easy. Plus, Simon and all his other victims would finally be able to rest in peace.'**_

Natsu screwed his eyes shut tight as he did everything he could to stay focused on the task at hand. Of course his 'inner demon' would make a nuisance of himself now. Opportunity to be rid of Jellal? Why wouldn't it kick up a fuss? Natsu and his 'END' persona didn't see eye to eye on too many things, but that doesn't mean they never did. Natsu felt ashamed to say that END had a point about Jellal; it wasn't right, but even after all this time… Natsu had never forgiven the man for all the suffering he caused. The Dragon Slayer felt like if he ever did, it would do a disservice to all those that had died – Grandpa Rob, Simon, all those people at the Tower of Heaven, whether directly, indirectly, or without knowing, Jellal had killed them all. Grandpa Rob gave his life so that Erza could go and rescue Jellal, and what had happened in the end? Jellal got 'possessed', and Erza was forced to leave that island while Jellal used all of those people as leverage over her. Natsu still wasn't convinced he didn't have _some_ control of himself, because he didn't act like a puppet while he was possessed; he still had his own damn thoughts and plans – why, Natsu only needed to recall Erza and Siegrain's interactions to realize that. Jellal worked hundreds of people to the point of death to get that Tower finished. And then, when it came time to 'resurrect Zeref', he manipulated Erza's friends into capturing her and bringing her back to be sacrificed. Natsu stopped the bastard, but at no small cost, as Simon paid for it with his life because Natsu hadn't been strong enough at the time to save him.

 _'Look. Me 'n Erza are at odds right now, but she_ apologized _. I can't turn my back on her now. Not Erza. I'd never be able to look her in the eye if I just let Jellal die. She'd be able to tell, and I don't wanna imagine how that would impact our friendship.'_

 _ **'Because you**_ **totally** _ **just want to be her friend. Admit it! You're like a lost pup that can't let go and move on, even though you have**_ **excellent** _ **taste in your 'fallback plan'. Sure, I can see that Scarlet is a looker; she'll be a real freak in bed, but never with you. Her taste in guys is a real turn-off… not to mention it pisses me off. Which is to say…**_ **he** _ **pisses**_ **you** _ **off. So go ahead, defend those two for all you're worth, but you're never gonna make her your mate.'**_

Funny how END would differentiate himself from 'Natsu' sometimes. But then again… so did Natsu. Wasn't like he had multiple personalities or nothin' – he and END were one and the same, and Natsu needed to come to grips with that. It wasn't some other personality that was feeling this way about Jellal and Erza; on some level, he really did feel this bitter and betrayed. None of this was helpful in focusing on the blast, but Natsu had struggled to withstand his 'inner demon' to this point, and he'd be damned if he caved into those temptations now.

A few agonizing moments later, Natsu could feel the fiery dome shrinking... finally… He was beginning to black out. So with the explosion no longer an imminent threat… Natsu fell flat on his back but continued to absorb as much of the explosion as he could, even to the very end. _Damn_ he felt bloated. And achy all over. No, really, this was the worst idea he had… Never again. Y'know, unless his friends were endangered _again_. Before Natsu knew it, the world around him disappeared and Natsu knew no more…

* * *

Natsu swore he'd been through this loads of times before – blearily blinking his eyes open as he laid in some bed in a place he vaguely recognized. But his vision didn't stay blurry this time; it sharpened into focus until the pink-head realized he wasn't alone in the room. He couldn't help cracking a grin at the blue tomcat curled up at the foot of his bed, while Mira was resting her head on his chest as she sat next to his bed. Well. It wasn't _his_ bed, 'cause his bed was a hammock, but he'd obviously made it back. Somehow. Hopefully that meant what Natsu thought it meant.

Craning his head as much as he could to get a better look around the room without disturbing Mira from her slumber, Natsu could see the faint streams of sunlight wafting in through the windows, meaning it was pretty early morning. Further inspection of the room revealed a sparse amount of furniture and decorations; really, there was more stuff on shelves than anything else. From this the Dragon Slayer surmised they were at Porlyusica's place, 'cause they sure weren't at his and Happy's home or Mira's. Though the aged healer didn't seem to be in the single-room house at the moment, so Natsu idly wondered what she was off doing.

As he continued to lay there, eyes panning around the place, Natsu felt like he'd go stir-crazy if this kept up much longer. Like, how long had he been conked out? Musta been a while because he felt way too rested and energized. He hoped it hadn't been _too_ long, 'cause then everybody probably fretted over him. Natsu Dragneel wasn't a wimp. All he did was win all day, every day. Like a boss.

Natsu _kindly_ overlooked all those ass-kickings Erza gave him. Or Mira. Wasn't his fault a lot of dating stuff didn't stick. Like wearing that monkey suit to nice places or 'table manners'. Whatever those were. Grub was grub – it went to the same place regardless of what pace you ate it at.

See? He was already going stir-crazy. His mind was all over the place. And now a perfectly evil idea was hatching, and Natsu nigh well couldn't resist implementing it. Mira's sides were within reach, and his hands were twitching with energy. So despite how this could possibly backfire, Natsu gleefully started tickling the silver-haired barmaid's sides and didn't let up even as she sat up rigidly and started laughing helplessly, tears glistening in her eyes as the Dragon Slayer had his fun. He swore these opportunities needed to happen more often; Mira wouldn't hurt him while he was there in bed, and the last time he'd done this to Erza, she'd been powerless to resist the tickle attack. Ahhh, this was therapeutic – much better than a simple ass-kicking delivered to his constant tormentors. Anyone can deliver an ass-kicking; a real man relishes in and takes advantage of others' weaknesses without actually hurting them. Y'know, brutally.

There is not something wrong with Natsu Dragneel's head. Everything is perfectly fine.

"STOPSTOPSTOOOOOP!" Mira squealed as the pink-head kept his fingers constantly moving while he mercilessly attacked her sides. Eventually, the silver-head had enough on an unconscious level and flailed her arms, which inevitably sent Natsu crashing back into the head of the bed in a bit of a daze. Mira-chan still had it, y'know? As Natsu's eyes comically rolled around in their sockets like a couple of balls, Mira caught her breath before crossing her arms and glaring at the Dragon Slayer with a cute pout. Needless to say, it ruined the effect of the glare a tad, but Natsu got the vague notion she was trying to pull off a 'wounded' expression more than an angry one. "Now that wasn't nice. I'm gonna have to tell the kids their papa is a big ol' meanie who picks on defenseless girls."

… Yep. Only Mira. And Natsu really didn't halt the momentum of Mira's counterattack.

"P-Papa?! KIDS?!"

Mira nodded cutely while ticking off a number on her hands.

"Yup. I want twelve of 'em, one right after the other so they're only a year apart in age." She giggled as the pink-head's eyes glassed over as his mind went to a place it so rarely ventured to. Didn't mean he wanted to… do _the deed_ so many times, but Mira-chan was cruel in making him _imagine_ everything. From the kinky to the traumatizing to the whiny and bratty. Yeah. If Natsu was a dad that many times over, he'd probably keel over. That is, if a pregnant Mira didn't do him in beforehand because mood swings.

Welp… Natsu was broken now. Mira nodded once more at her handiwork. Served him right for 'picking' on her when she'd been so worried. Here she'd been all set for the usual 'drama' that came with one of her precious people waking up in Porlyusica's care, but the numbskull breezed past it as if he hadn't been conked out for two weeks. Y'know, bar brief periods of waking up.

Oh well. This was Natsu she was thinking about. Natsu Dragneel and 'normal' got along about as well as oil and water. Then again, the same could be applied to her and, well… anyone from Fairy Tail, really. Eh. Normalcy is overrated.

"What's all the ruckus, Mira?" Happy yawned as he sleepily pawed at his eye. He then looked over at Natsu to see him sitting up with open eyes. The blue tomcat grinned widely. "Natsu! You're awake!" When Natsu didn't respond, Happy frowned and poked at the Dragon Slayer's feet in an attempt to stir him. Eventually, all the pink-head did was collapse back onto the head of the bed with a frothing mouth and listless gaze. "Wah! Mira, what did you do?! He's broken! NATSUUU!"

Mira smiled serenely at the Exceed's antics. She didn't 'break' Natsu, heavens no! It was perfectly natural for a boy to lust after a girl! Or, y'know, just have visions of them and their many, many children. Yeah. Little demonic ankle-biters and fire-breathers – they'd be so cute! Perfectly natural for Natsu to start thinking about their future. Yup.

* * *

"Now, Natsu, you will have to come back here for regular appointments." Porlyusica told the Dragon Slayer about an hour after Natsu had, er… 'recovered'. "I would keep you here under observation for a while longer, but I must insist you vacate. Your Guildmates have been quite concerned for you, and have been checking up on you frequently."

Natsu blinked as the aged healer seemed to be letting him go with her blessing. That was hardly common with Porlyusica – so soon after an incident, at any rate.

"Wha? You sure it'll be okay? I'm not gonna burn people am I? Or explode?" Natsu's eyes became as wide as saucers as he still had that bloaty feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Porlyusica quirked an eyebrow at Natsu's nervousness. Quite unlike him.

"Nothing has happened to Mira or Happy, correct? That said… Your condition is a strange one. By all accounts you should be dead with the amount of Magic you took in; or at the very least, leaking it out even in your sleep. Yet you have showed no signs of doing so. You have been here in my care for two weeks, and nothing extreme has occurred." The aged healer sighed as she grudgingly revealed some of her own concerns. "I fear this is the calm before the storm, however. While it may appear that you are in control of your Magic, what is likely happening is that you are not trying to use it. Once you do, it will rage out of you. From there, I can only speculate what will happen. That is why you will need to come back here for appointments. I do not like how little you seem affected by absorbing so much."

Natsu opened and closed his mouth in an attempt to respond to that, but he really couldn't formulate one. Even Porlyusica didn't know what would happen?! ... Then again, maybe it wouldn't be somethin' bad. Who knows? Maybe he'd be that much more kick-ass for having so much fire in his belly. This brought a grin to his face, which somewhat confused the aged healer.

"Well, okay! I'm gonna go test it out now!" Natsu grinned ear to ear as he walked to the door where Mira and Happy were waiting outside. Porlyusica _had_ been about to warn him to not channel any Magic within her home, but the knucklehead _had_ to start channeling flames into his fist just as he reached the door. The result was quite explosive as he pumped it in the air; instead of a fire-coated hand, it was as if a fireball had materialized around the appendage and decided to surge outward quite forcefully, easily wrecking the walls, windows, and ceiling of the hollowed out tree that Porlyusica called home. Natsu was, of course, unharmed, as was Porlyusica, but the Dragon Slayer seemed a bit more excited than sheepish at this development. The Dragon Slayer grinned madly at the sheer power he'd just unleashed and the big gaping hole that allowed him to see Mira and Happy standing just outside. He pumped his fist animatedly and cheered boisterously. "OH YEAH! IM'MA KICK GRAY'S ASS FOR SURE! SORRY FOR THE MESS!"

Porlyusica massaged her temples and let out a weary sigh as the Dragon Slayer rushed past his dazed friends outside. No one had been expecting that… though in retrospect, they probably should have. This was Natsu they were talking about. Getting the insufferable Pyro through this was going to be a nightmare… Makarov must be rolling in his grave by now.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I'll stop here for now… Apologies to Porlyusica, but that last bit was just begging to be written. XD**

 **So here's the thing. There I was, writing on Christmas night (or was it the twenty-sixth? Either way, night before the manga) as I struggled through a cold-illness-thing, thinking I just wanted to write a bit of dialogue from END. Then the manga comes out the next day and it's like… Mashima? You a mindreader, bruh? Aw, heck. It plays into my hands, even if you go a totally different route with the 'Seed Fusion'. XD So yes. END will likely have some… things to say as the plot progresses. Didn't really place an emphasis on him beforehand 'cause I wanted to keep the mood 'sad' instead of 'holy crap, Natsu's pissed at Jellal'. Though as good ol' Tempest35 pointed out… that anger's gotta be there. So this was fun to write for me. ^^**

 **I'm finally getting over my illness, so the time has come to write like the wind as my winter break's already halfway over. ;_; Just an FYI, the next few days I will likely be channeling my writing into my main Naruto fanfic, which hasn't been touched since August. I wanna get one more update for that before the year wraps up, and then I'll try and split my attention to both series, 'cause it's unfair to neglect either. Fun. -_-**

 **If nothing else, though, the gap between updates here will allow me to plan a bit more ahead. I've got some rough ideas for how I want things to come to a head between Natsu, Erza, Mira, and Jellal, but because you guys have been so awesome I don't wanna shaft you and come up with some plot on the fly. Hence why there wasn't any other interactions this chapter yet.**

 **Last thing… Eileen/Irene… What have you done? Eileen/Irene… stahp. The Wendy fanfictioners will feel vindicated in their sexy portrayals of her now. Wendy was one of the few adorable girls we had left that wasn't quite 'sexy' yet, and you TOOK THAT FROM US. OH KAMI WHY. XD**


	8. Chapter 8

_Whump_.

One step forward, two steps back.

 _Whump_.

Why did things have to be so difficult with her?! Natsu could tell she was immensely guilty about the Quest she picked him for. She didn't need to hold him at arms' length out of fear that she wasn't 'worthy' to befriend him again.

 _Whump_.

So… why? Why was she acting so unlike herself? The Erza he knew mighta been socially awkward at times, but at least she _tried_ to make things right whenever she perceived something was wrong. He always liked that about her… even when it meant one-armed hugs to the breastplate for him.

 _Whump_.

It was so infuriating. And the _only_ reason he knew this for certain at all was because _that man_ had to come and visit him. It took _Jellal_ of all people to step up and clear the air…

 _WHUMP_.

Jellal. Natsu had to suppress the urge to snarl at the mere thought of the man's name. In another world, perhaps they could've been friends. Erza used to tell him a few fond memories of the boy before he got 'possessed', and he got the feeling that _maybe_ they would've gotten along… Depends on how 'fair' Erza was being in remembering the boy she fell in love with. Natsu knew all about remembering people fondly and 'ignoring' the negative aspects; Igneel was a great father that Natsu would never regret having, but he could be really tough on him at times during training. It helped him become the man he was today, but at the time it wasn't so great when the Fire Dragon King kept yelling at him to get up and 'try again'.

 _Whump_.

Why did the mere thought of the man turn his stomach? … No, Natsu didn't have to ask himself that. He knew damn well why. If it'd been just a case of Erza being Jellal's redemption, he definitely wouldn't have as huge a problem with the man as he did now. Everyone deserves a second chance; even when they ruled from the top of towers and tortured people… _so many people_ … to death. He knew damn well why Jellal drove him up the wall. After all was said and done, after everything he had done to her… Erza Scarlet _still chose him_. She entrusted her heart _to him_.

 _WHUMP_.

Natsu panted as he decided to derail these frustrating thoughts. He also stopped punching the tree he was venting these frustrations on. The Dragon Slayer had been slugging it hard enough to leave marks, as well as get bloody knuckles out of the ordeal. Mira wasn't gonna be happy about that. Still. He just… needed to do it. She wasn't letting him use his Magic until they sorted out how they were going to get him to vent the excess, and Natsu didn't do well when he couldn't let out his anger. He was a Fire Dragon Slayer, damn it. Of course he was prone to anger.

 _'I seriously gotta stop…'_ Natsu looked down at his bloody knuckles with a frown on his face. It'd never been this bad before… Sure, he'd been angry at Jellal lots of times, but this time was different. The fury was nigh well untamable now… Was it the excess Fire Magic? END hadn't been very vocal as of late, which put Natsu a little on edge. The pink-head sighed breezily as he turned back to return home to get some bandages. Nobody wanted to see the results of his… 'anger management'. That might raise a few eyebrows. _'No use worrying about it now… I just gotta hope wasting some of this Magic will help…'_

At this rate, he'd be speeding for a head-long collision with the blue-haired bastard. … Not that Natsu particularly minded the thought of pounding his face in again. Even so, it all came back to Erza and how it would impact her. As far as he knew, she didn't know about his grudge against Jellal… a small fact that made his blood boil even more, but that led to a line of thought he didn't want to go down… Why did things have to be so complicated with her?

* * *

Erza chewed her lower lip as she watched Natsu enter the Guild Hall again and strike up a conversation with Meldy. The Dragon Slayer had been up and about for a few days now; they still had to work out who he was to spar with to get that excess fire out of his system, but he otherwise seemed fine healthwise. … On the surface, anyway. To the casual observer, Natsu bounced right back from the coma he'd been in… but Erza knew him far better than that. Now that she was actively observing the Dragon Slayer again, the scarlet knight could see the stiff shoulders. The clenched fists. The gritted teeth. Hell, she even caught him stealing a glance at her and Jellal when he thought she wasn't looking. Erza didn't know or understand what was eating away at Natsu, but what she did know was his disguised uneasiness was unsettling her.

Mira had been so right… It hurt Erza just thinking about it. Why the hell had she taken Natsu for granted like this? It'd been over a year since their last 'real' conversation? Had she really slipped that much? Reflecting on it, Erza supposed there was nothing to offer up in her defense. Natsu was a person near and dear to her heart that she just grew… complacent. She always believed that if she needed him, he'd be there, but how selfish was that? To just… hold him to a standard of friendship while she buried herself in Guild Master duties and dates with Jellal. And for her to treat _Natsu_ of all people like this… Natsu, who never gave up a fight. Natsu, who would always be there to save her whenever she needed it. Natsu, who always managed to brighten up her day with his endearing personality… She really was the worst.

You can see why Erza delayed in talking to him again… It wasn't so much Erza didn't want to fix things between them. She really, really did. She wanted with all her heart to go back to the way things were. However… where did she even begin to apologize? Erza knew Natsu all too well; in all likelihood, he'd accept her apology with open arms, but part of Erza didn't _want_ Natsu to be so forgiving. She should have to work for it… It was only fair to him.

But as stated, Erza had yet to communicate any of this to Natsu. It was really unlike her to be frozen up like this, but every time she saw him, she just… wilted. All those little tics she noticed in the Dragon Slayer's movements served as searing reminders that _she_ had brought him this pain. It was her fault he was in this state… physically, emotionally, _and_ mentally… _No_ she did not want Natsu to just 'forgive and forget'. Not in this instance. But insisting that at this point might drive a wedge further between them because of Natsu just wanting to repair the bridge between them… hence Erza's dilemma in how to approach Natsu. She had hurt Natsu and she wanted… _needed_ to make it up to him. Her aching heart demanded no less. But until she could clearly convey everything that needed to be said – without upsetting Natsu – Erza would be holding off on their 'talk' just a little bit longer…

Yeah… great. Erza was a coward and she knew it.

* * *

Mirajane Strauss was not happy. She'd been 'unhappy' a lot lately, but this? This really pissed her off. Natsu had been nothing but a gentleman to her after getting back into the swing of Guild life – albeit without taking jobs. Sure, he was annoyed that he couldn't even train, but for her sake he tried to be patient. They had a rough time pinning down just who Natsu should spar with to vent his excess Magic; Mira wanted to be the one to do it, since Natsu was pretty much her responsibility, but the Dragon Slayer was sweet in not wanting to hurt her. Granted, any other time she would've been miffed he was 'underestimating' her, but in this instance caution was warranted. One Fire Dragon's Iron Fist had been enough to wreck Porlyusica's place. That wasn't something to brag about…

Gray, Laxus, and Gajeel were a bit eager to take on Natsu all at once, but that was… inadvisable, to put it lightly. Seemed like a good idea on the surface – the more there were, the more they could help one another out and avoid serious injury. But the drawback was Natsu releasing even more Magic to keep up with them. They thought a Fire Dragon's Iron Fist was bad? Mira didn't even want to think what Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame would be like in Natsu's current state. Or even his Fire Dragon's Roar. No… multiple opponents was a _bad_ idea. You'd be hard-pressed to dodge Natsu's attacks as he currently was, and if you got hit… severe burns might be you getting off easy.

Even so, wringing their hands wasn't going to benefit anyone, least of all Natsu. And it wasn't even what Mira was pissed about in the first place. That was more like something to worry about 'on the side.' Natsu's hiatus from training was a side effect of the real problem… venting emotionally. He tried his best to hide it, but it was kind of hard to miss bandaged hands when they went into hug or just have an intimate moment. And _why_ was he a tempest of erratic emotions? It all came back to one fiery redhead he was sitting on the opposite side of the Guild Hall from. It wasn't even his fault… per se. Granted, this time their Guild Master was sitting with her boyfriend, and that turned Natsu off from trying to approach her; Mira couldn't blame him for wanting to avoid more heart-wrenching pain. But still. Mira had explicitly warned Erza to get this the hell fixed, or they would have 'problems'. And lo and behold, Erza froze up as always… Like Natsu, she could see the hesitation – the feelings of 'unworthiness'. And she didn't need Jellal to tell her that was what Erza was feeling below the surface; years of rivalry allowed Mirajane to perceive that all on her own. Mira wasn't asking Tincan to be 'buddy-buddy' with Natsu like the old days… at least not right away. All she was _asking for_ was a visible effort to patch things up. A fresh start.

That was too much to ask for, apparently. But not to worry – Mira was all too happy to force the issue and get the two talking and communicating again. Jellal was even happy to chip in so that the scarlet knight wouldn't get suspicious. Erza deserved everything coming her way…

* * *

"Really? You ain't kiddin'?" Natsu asked with a bounce to his step as he and Mira walked the streets of Magnolia, on their way to the outskirts.

"Nope! If all goes well, you'll have someone strong enough to help you waste that excess fire in your belly! Just remember that's why you're out here." Mira smiled _a little_ too sweetly as she said this. Natsu squinted at the strange way she worded that, but ultimately decided to let his girlfriend have her quirks. Hey, if it helped him vent that Magic, who was he to be picky? He was game for just about anything.

… Famous last words.

"Sooo… Who is it?" Natsu probed anxiously as they walked. At her head shake and teasing grin, he started spouting out guesses. "Junkyard? Laxus? _Gray_? Max? Nab? Bickslow? Lucy? Ooh! Did ya bring in Sting 'n Rogue? Or Jura! Kagura? What about Cobra's old pals? Don't tell me you're forcing Wendy to help out!"

Mira had to sweatdrop at the wide range of guesses. You knew he was too excited to think straight when he made guesses like Nab or Lucy… Like those two could help out with something like this.

"Nope, no hints! We're almost there, but they might take a little time in getting out here. Just be a little patient."

Natsu Dragneel and patience… did not go together. Not well or at all.

"Just tell me! I can't take it!" The Dragon Slayer groaned in exasperation as Mira didn't budge. He pouted childishly and grumbled as his mind ran several miles a minute as he tried puzzling out who Mira was setting him up with. It wasn't fair to get him all Fired Up and _not_ friggin' tell him who his sparring partner was gonna be! As Elfman would say, it was unmanly!

… Never mind that Mira was very much a woman in every sense of the word. Shuuut iiit.

"Hmm… I think this is the spot." Mira remarked as they reached a certain distance outside Magnolia. They couldn't afford to raise too much of a stir in town with moving the citizens around like during Gildarts' Shift – that would alert Natsu's… partner – so they would have to make liberal use of Freed's Enchantments to create a restricted area for this. A large area, mind you, but one that boxed Natsu's destructive Magic in. Sending Natsu into such an area alone might have been for the best, but what if he released too much at once and severely burned himself? Mira would never forgive herself for letting that happen. A sparring partner was the safest option, but it needed to be someone that was on par with him, perhaps even someone that could absorb his attacks to an extent… Hmm. Now, who fit that bill? "… Natsu."

Natsu blinked a bit in surprise as Mira's voice went from chipper to serious in just a few moments. That was… odd.

"Yeah, what's up?" He felt a little more lost when she turned to him with one of the most complicated expressions on her face. Part stern, part sad, part determined… Natsu couldn't even pick out and identify each emotion flitting through her eyes; the stare was that… intense. Natsu wasn't even sure if that was the right word to use here.

And just as abruptly… that look in her eyes was gone and she was chewing on her lower lip as she looked down.

"… No matter what happens, I just wanted you to know now this doesn't have to be permanent. I… I only wanted to try and help. It's not _you_ … Your sparring partner just… frustrates me. Hopefully this will be just as beneficial to them."

Natsu's brow furrowed at Mira's cryptic words. It took him a moment to puzzle it out, but Natsu was by no means stupid. He wasn't no bookworm, but to say he couldn't work out hints like _these_ … Well. That would be plain insulting.

"Mira… tell me you didn't force her into this." At the silver-haired barmaid's soft, sad smile, his eyes widened and he took a step toward Mira in panic. "MIRA!"

"It's only a onetime thing, Natsu. I promise. I hate seeing you hurt like this… You two need to communicate. Badly."

"Mira…" Natsu shook in a mixture of annoyance and anger… Couldn't he deal with this at his own pace? … Their own pace, really. He was more worried about her, after all. The Dragon Slayer tried to approach his girlfriend, but as he found out, she had carefully situated herself outside a wall of runes that he couldn't penetrate, and the way they had come bore similar results. Freed. "MIRA!"

That soft, sad smile remained on Mira's lips as she shook her head at him and moved further back into the trees, where Natsu was pretty sure she'd be watching from. The Dragon Slayer ran his hands through his hair in aggravation as he started pacing back and forth. If Freed was helping Mira out, then they'd really be forcing the issue… Damn it. He wasn't ready for this, and he highly doubted Erza would be either…

While Natsu was in the middle of his own thoughts, he missed how Erza entered the same 'trap' as him, not all too aware herself as she, too, was lost in thought. Surprisingly, it took the scarlet knight to say something to get Natsu to fully realize she'd arrived.

"Natsu…?" Erza whispered as she stared at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. Natsu ceased pacing and looked directly back at her in the eyes.

Well… shit.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Haaah~… Might've gotten a smidge fast-paced toward the end here, but I wasn't gonna go beyond this scene just yet. Let the abrupt forced meeting soooak in… Yeah… Hands up, who thinks everything's gonna be fine and dandy from the word 'go'? Okay… Show of hands, who thinks a fuse was just lit on a powder keg? *sagely nod* That's what I thought. lol**

 **Sorry this took so long, but frankly I don't think I'm gonna be dragging the progression out anymore. We've had our fun reveling in the 'oh, woe is Natsu' shtick for a while now – now it's time to start on the bumpy road to recovery. There might be a pothole or two, and maybe a flat tire at one point… But we'll get to where we need to go, ja. ^_^ Full steam ahead! :D**

 **On a semi-related note, Tempest35 and I have been exchanging quite a few PMs… 9 pages worth? Well, the ninth page is only like half-filled, but you authors/fans who have ever filled out a whole page or two of this site's messaging system will know how many PMs can fit on one friggin' page. Yeah. That's a lot of exchanges. XD Rambling… Point is, we've talked about this story, canon, hate for Jerza, lots of devious and perverted plot bunnies for tons of unrelated stories, and everything in-between. I'm pretty sure I know where I want to take this NaMiZa story, so there shouldn't be problems related to direction anymore… Those of you shoring up rotten food and other obscene things to throw at Blueberry might be pleased to know things will come to a head between Natsu and Jellal eventually… and that they will duke it out. Rest assured of that. For those more neutral to him (like myself; I'm anti-Jerza, but not necessarily anti-Jellal) – who might even like him – you can be assured he won't get killed off or drop off the map after the resolution of the conflict. Like I told a reader or two, I have a rough plan for who I want to pair him up with… No requests or demands; I'm pretty set on this. Haha.**

 **That all said, last night was amazing in that I was hit** _ **hard**_ **with inspiration for how I want to cap off this story. I already wrote out a bit of it and kinda came to near-tears just picturing the scene in my head… Perhaps I won't be able to make** _ **you**_ **guys cry, but it's all about envisioning it in your head. … Some music might help set the mood, too. Look up 'Cipher's Silence: Zero Escape Remixes – 9 Years' on Youtube, 'cause that is** _ **precisely**_ **what triggered my imagination for the conclusion. There's a saying that I came across while reading fanfiction that basically advises writers to end a story on a wedding or funeral… Well~, listening to that remix will give you a pretty good idea on what I decided on.**

 **As always, all of your support is appreciated! I'm still floored by the massive reaction it's gotten (in my humble opinion, in any case). You're all awesome. Hope you enjoyed this a little!**


	9. Chapter 9

"Natsu…" Erza trailed off as she looked at the Dragon Slayer with wide eyes. Natsu was similarly caught off-guard, as he'd spaced out and hadn't been able to 'save' the scarlet knight from this mess…

 _'Damn it… Mira, you're pushing things too far!'_ Natsu raged internally, but kept a calm composure on the outside… Well. Tried to. His shoulders might've been a bit stiff, and his jaw clenched ever so slightly while his eyes conveyed the panic he was feeling.

On Erza's end, her mind was working to puzzle this all out. Jellal had approached her in regards to some training. He recommended she bring her Flame Empress Armor along with some of her more durable sets; he'd _said_ that he had some new Fire Magic to try out beyond those Flames of Rebuke, but reflecting on it… That'd been suspicious of him. Fire Magic wasn't really Jellal's specialty.

Alas… like the weak-willed woman she thought she was, the scarlet knight hadn't questioned the blue-haired Heavenly Body mage, and had instead allowed her mind to wander… To what, you ask? Well… Of course she ruminated on the Pyro she'd been avoiding. Dusting off the Flame Empress Armor simply had that effect on her psyche. Fire or anything related to it would at least spring his visage to mind when he wasn't around.

And now here they were. Funny how a little misdirection from her boyfriend resulted in the situation she'd been doing her utmost to avoid. She was just… frozen. Stuck. Unable to tear her eyes from Natsu or even move her lips to say… _anything_ beyond his name.

 _'Some Guild Master…'_ Erza thought despondently to herself. She hated being so weak that she couldn't get over her own fears and anxieties.

Of course Natsu was the first to recover from the initial shock. Erza mentally kicked herself for forcing Natsu to do everything himself… It wasn't ri…

"Erza…" Natsu sighed tiredly as he observed the same panic in her that was in him. Damn it all, they just _weren't ready yet_. Why did Mira have to go forcing the issue? That was never a good approach. This wasn't one of those cheesy romance novels that she occasionally read. They weren't… Well, okay, _Erza_ didn't love him. Not like that. And Natsu was trying to get over those feelings anyway. If anything, it was the opposite of a romance novel… whatever that was called. He shook his head sluggishly. "… I'm sorry, Erza. This is my fault. If I hadn't zoned out… Hell. If hadn't bought Mira's lie, you wouldn't be stuck in here with me, and I could get Freed to let you go… It's my fault."

Erza's eyes widened further as Natsu predictably took the blame for this. It was so like him to do that. That wasn't what she thought at all! Sure, it was uncomfortable to be facing this now, but…

"N-Nat… su…!" Erza mentally cursed herself as her mouth failed her again. Damn it! Why wouldn't the words just flow from her lips?! There was so much that needed to be said!

But nothing came, and Natsu just went on talking. His shoulders slumped in defeat and resignation.

"… You don't have to say anything." Natsu tried to reassure the redhead as he averted his gaze from hers. He wanted with all his heart to reconcile with Erza, but not if it made her uncomfortable. He turned to walk away from the Rune wall keeping them in on this side; if they were boxed in, he could at least make Erza's stay bearable and go to the opposite end. "Let's just wait Mira and Freed out. They can't keep us here forever."

This said, Natsu dejectedly walked off. Erza tried to call out to him, move to follow him, but her body just wasn't responding, and she _hated_ it. She really was a terrible person for not being able to comfort Natsu of all people.

"D-Damn it…" Erza cursed under her breath as she took a shuddering breath and raised a clenched fist to her chest. She couldn't bring herself to follow him… not yet. And it made her loathe herself all the more.

* * *

Mira narrowed her eyes as she watched Natsu break off from Erza. The scarlet knight remained rooted in place, and it was pissing her off.

"Go _after him_ …" Mira seethed, but of course Erza didn't hear her. She was too wrapped up in her own doubts, and she and the others watching weren't close enough for the Guild Master to hear them. There were about five of them watching this… Mira didn't even know if she could describe this scene with one word. 'Crap' might be a good start, but it didn't adequately cover all of her frustrations at seeing this. She growled furiously. "Erza, you're a fucking coward."

Freed sighed breezily at the silver-haired barmaid's blatant anger.

"I understand your frustration, but you are forcing the issue here… I wasn't expecting results to begin with when you approached me with this request."

Mira scowled as she continued to watch. Of course she was aware this wasn't the best method for going about reconciliation between the two, but she was fed up with Erza standing idly by. It was so stupid. Scarlet had really become a shell of her former self.

"I have a feeling Erza will come through." Jellal spoke up calmly, which garnered a huff from the Takeover mage.

"She had better, or she won't like the consequences." Mira muttered acidly. Jellal could only smile wryly at the Takeover mage's clear threat; he was all for helping these two friends get over their issues, but he didn't much care for Mira's hostility toward Erza. It should be enough that Erza feels contrite. As a courtesy, they should be patient with her; it wasn't that long ago that Jellal used to think he would never be able to atone for his past. Sometimes he still wondered if ridding the world of Zeref and Acnologia had been enough 'atonement'. That was why Jellal could cut Erza some slack.

However… Just as Jellal was defensive of Erza, the azure-haired mage could understand Mira's position as well. Natsu was dear to her heart, and seeing him in pain was not something she could accept. Jellal was much the same when it came to Erza. If the roles were reversed, and it was Natsu who brought Erza such grief, Jellal had little doubt he would be breathing down Natsu's neck. The Heavenly Body Magic user's smile turned genuine at this thought. It was too ludicrous to even entertain a reversal in roles; despite their differences, he and the Dragon Slayer both loved the scarlet knight too much to willingly bring her heartache. And that was just one reason to encourage Erza to reconcile with the man that had done so much for them both.

Jellal was jolted out of his thoughts by Erik, who sounded none too thrilled.

"I can hear it. It's making _a lot_ more noise than it usually does…" Cobra regarded Mira and Freed with a warning glance. "You should really undo the Enchantment. I can guarantee you're not going to like where this is headed."

"Is it really that bad…?" Meredy asked nervously as she looked between the skeptical Mirajane and the grim-faced Erik. Cobra shrugged neutrally, though Mira seemed less concerned than the pinkette.

"You won't even tell us what has you so troubled!" The silver-haired barmaid pointed out. She didn't miss how his eye drifted over to Jellal for the briefest of moments.

"… I have my reasons." Cobra muttered with a bit of frustration mixed in his tone. Truth be told, Cobra knew for a fact that Jellal at least had his suspicions; what he didn't want is to _confirm_ said man's suspicions. Jellal was a tangled mess of 'unresolved issues'. Zeref and his empire was taken down, but Jellal wasn't the one to do it. Now, admittedly, Jellal had gotten over that. Natsu was the guy to finish off the Black Wizard; that had put the Heavenly Body Magic user at ease. Nevertheless, the azure-haired mage was still feeling guilt gnawing at him. He'd done so many terrible things, and he hadn't even been able to make a meaningful contribution to the fight against Zeref. Neinhart, August, Jellal hadn't been able to defeat any of their major opponents. He'd desperately wanted to – it was one step on his road to redemption – but he came up short. He had to leave it to Fairy Tail.

Well, there _was_ one more 'enemy' that was unaccounted for, even after the war wrapped up. The strongest Demon that Zeref had ever created. Very few people were in the know about END's identity, Cobra included because of his impressive Sound Magic picking up that tidbit of information. Team Natsu had politely requested Cobra keep it under wraps, if only for Natsu's sake. They didn't assume their Fairy Tail family would reject the Pyro for having a dark secret about him; Gray might have reacted violently to the revelation, but that was because he was struggling with… issues at the time. No, they feared of too many people knowing about END and letting the news circulate outside the Guild. Who knew what kind of self-righteous psychos would try to put a hit on Salamander (END to them) just 'cause he was alive and kicking? It was really best to minimize how many people knew about that part of Natsu's identity.

Of course, sweeping that secret under the rug had the unfortunate side effect of most people not knowing where END was, or if he was even alive. Under most circumstances, that was alright; most people didn't care to go on 'one last Demon hunt' to finish the job. One exception was… Jellal. Consider it his self-proclaimed last opportunity to make amends for the sins of his past. He couldn't do anything against Zeref's empire, but if he could find this 'Demon', Zeref's purportedly greatest creation…

… You can see why Cobra was less than thrilled to be having this conversation right now. The Poison Dragon Slayer could hear the voices in Natsu's head; END might've been part of his being, but it by no means made up the whole. END is not Natsu Dragneel, but Natsu Dragneel _is_ END. And, boy, does that sound as confusing as hell. Main point to take away from all this… It was going to be a train wreck. Cobra opened up to Meredy as a small consolation to himself, but he knew he was going to have to restrain the Heavenly Body Magic user if worse came to worst. Cobra _hoped_ Jellal would see reason, but if END attacked Erza...

It just didn't paint a pretty picture.

"Well, she's moving in the direction of Natsu, at least." Freed muttered, drawing everyone's attention as there was finally movement on the scarlet knight's part. And out of all the reactions to this, Cobra's was the most troubled.

"Here we go…" The Dragon Slayer grimaced.

* * *

When Erza located Natsu again, the Dragon Slayer was lying on his back on the grass at what was presumably the opposite side of their… prison. She'd Requipped out of her Heart Kreuz Armor so that she could be more comfortable, though understandably she still felt quite nervous and anxious. The pink-head's eyes seemed to be focused on the clear blue skies above, but the redhead was able to catch a flicker of his eyes that panned over to her for the briefest of moments. He didn't say anything to rebuff her, so Erza took it as at least a reluctant acceptance for her to approach him.

Sitting on the grass a few feet away from him, in a kneeling position, Erza took one more moment to gather her thoughts. Then, she closed her eyes; and when she reopened them she began to speak as calmly as possible.

"I meant what I said before, back in my office before you went off on that Quest… We really do need to talk, Natsu." Erza sighed somewhat sadly as the pink-head maintained his silence. He was listening, that much she could tell, but… He wasn't going to initiate this. She had to be the one to do it, and that was fair. "I… Procrastinating has gotten us… _me_ nowhere. I appreciate you trying to spare my feelings, but I can't watch you continue to hurt yourself anymore… Natsu, I'm… sorry for distancing myself from you. I don't know how I got so complacent. I really can't apologize enough for hurting you like that. I want to go back to the way things were, back when we were just Guildmates. Family. It's taken me this long to realize there's been a void in my heart without your usual upbeat self, and I'm ashamed to have not noticed it sooner.

Erza took a deep breath before tacking a plea onto the end. It was all she could think to say, in the here and now.

"I would… I would like to start over as friends. I don't deserve it, but I'd be happy if you at least considered it…" The scarlet knight froze as Natsu sat up slowly. For some reason, a shiver traveled up her spine, and only when his eyes panned over to her again did she realize why. His eyes were pinpricks, and with that crooked, toothy grin he now bore, Erza could tell his teeth were sharper. Not to mention his hair angled up at the tips now, and there were black markings that went from his biceps down to his fists.

Erza hadn't seen Natsu like this, except for… that one time… when he had been fighting Gray…

"That was a touching speech, Titania! … One problem. The idiot didn't hear a lick of it." Natsu's twisted grin became downright malicious as he stood up and towered over Erza, though he made no move to get closer to the scarlet knight.

Erza narrowed her eyes at the change in Natsu's persona. This definitely wasn't the Natsu she'd battled alongside, the Natsu she grew up with. Whatever had taken him over, it felt far more dark than Natsu could muster. She knew what that had to mean, but… How?

"Are you END?" Erza asked suspiciously. She received a simple nod in return.

"So you _do_ remember. Funny how you remember little old me, but you forget the idiot's existence beyond mission reports and all that official nonsense." Natsu's malicious grin dropped into an irritated scowl before the Demon shook his head agitatedly. "It doesn't matter anymore, I suppose. You made your bed, now you gotta lie in it."

As Natsu – or rather, END – began to turn around and pace, he whipped back around and shot a tiny black fireball just inches from Erza's position, having detected a Magic buildup for a Requip.

"Uh-uh." END wagged his index finger chidingly at the scarlet knight. "We'll get to that in a bit, but first we gotta have that talk you wanted so bad. You had your turn, now it's mine."

Clasping his hands behind his back, the Demon began to pace back and forth. Eventually, he came to a stop and turned on his heel to face Erza again.

"Do you know… the _pain_ this idiot has gone through because of you?" As Erza opened her mouth, END flicked a black fireball a few inches to her right again. "Shhh. You spoke, now you _listen_. The idiot might have put up with you pushing him around, but not me. It's your turn to heel. As I was saying… I don't think you understand the gravity of your betrayal."

END gave a twisted smirk again as he chuckled darkly at the face she made at his word choice.

"Heeeh… Of course you wouldn't understand. Why would you? You got everything you wanted. Despite everything that idiot did to secure your life and happiness, you always went back to the guy that took both those things away from you in the first place! You had to 'reform' him! Even after _everything_ he did – slaughtered your fellow slaves, turned your friends against you, and _killed_ the one that never stopped believing in you!" END did not falter in his intense stare even as Erza sprang up and move in to slap him. He caught Erza's wrist and leaned in tauntingly, pinning her other hand to her side so that she wouldn't get any 'ideas'. "Does the truth hurt? I can promise you it has nothing on the sort of pain that idiot's gone through on _your_ behalf. Like I said, though… you just don't understand. Ohhh, but you will. Freed made sure of that, didn't he?"

Sensing the scarlet knight attempting to attack with her legs, END stopped her kick's momentum and kicked her in the ribs for good measure. Only when she was hunched over did he release her hands and back away with a taunting smirk on his lips.

"To think that idiot was gonna just 'forgive' you and move on! You try and attack us for stating the simplest of facts. He hasn't learned a thing after all these years!" END shook his head ruefully and started pacing again. When he stopped again, he tapped his temple. "But now that I'm gaining ground again due to that delicious explosion we gorged on, we're gonna do things _my_ way. No more silently suffering. No running away with the tail between our legs. We've run into a rut because of shitty decisions like that! I'm just gonna come out and say it, 'cause that idiot would take this info to his grave otherwise… We've always hated Jellal Fernandes. Not just me, but that idiot you grew up with. 'I' might have known him less than the idiot did, but you have to admit that it's ironic that the first time I began to stir in the back of that idiot's mind was the first time he encountered and battled Jellal."

END chuckled as Erza frowned and her brow furrowed.

"Goes against everything you assumed, doesn't it? You thought the idiot had come to accept Jellal – not just as an ally, or a Guildmate, but as a friend. I bet you never stopped to think the only reason he tolerated the blue-haired bastard was _because of you_. He wanted to respect your wishes of reforming the guy, he _wanted_ to accept him as an ally. But deep down he just couldn't. Oh, he tried to interact with the bastard as little as possible, but in the end… it all comes back to you." END strode forward and leaned into Erza's face mockingly. " _You_ kept getting close to the bastard. Even while we played nice, your one-track mind was hung-up on that blue-haired emo, and surprise-surprise, he dragged you down into his depression. You're both stuck in the past, even now, and that's _precisely_ what the idiot wanted to help you avoid."

END straightened back up and shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly. He gestured at himself.

"But what do we know about love, right? Clearly you and Jellal have more history. He must need you a helluva lot more than Natsu does, too." As he expressed this sarcastically, END shook his head again and pointed accusingly at the scarlet knight. "I will repeat myself one more time: You _do not understand_ what you put that idiot through. You think he wants a do-over? Fuck that! That's the _last_ thing he wanted! That year of distancing yourself really must've screwed with your head, 'cause you have really lost your bond if you seriously believe that crap. You _cannot_ give that idiot what he wants. You literally _cannot_. I'd leave you to puzzle it out, but you'd only twist the knife in some more, so I'll spell it out."

The Demon strode forward again until he was standing a little to Erza's left. When he spoke again, it was scarcely above a whisper, and the four words rendered the scarlet knight speechless.

"Natsu Dragneel loves you."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Another cliffhanger, I know. I wanted to get into it more than I did, but… I dunno** _ **why**_ **the angst is hitting a roadblock. Sure, part of it is that I can't go lengthy periods writing really angsty stuff like this, but I had the gist of this scene mapped out in my head a month ago. Writing it was the hard part. Uuugh…**

 **Good news? The scene concludes next time with a fight. Well. It won't be much of one, but you'll see what I mean. I hope to focus more on some Natsu x Mira next chapter, 'cause Natsu is simply going to need the comfort. This kinda thing is like tearing off a bandaid and finding that the wound still needs time to heal. It's** _ **not**_ **gonna be fixed instantly with END's callous way of 'revealing the truth' to Erza. On top of which, we'll have some added tension with Jellal, so… yeah…**

 **At least Cobra and Meldy are in Natsu's corner, ne? About the only one missing in that corner is Erza, but she's going to be reeling for a bit… I suppose in part, END's rant here is also my mouthpiece so-to-speak in regards to the Jerza pairing. I've spoken out against it at length on Tumblr and with various authors on this site here, and I just get this dreadful feeling we'll be seeing that Blueberry rise back up to protect Erza-chan and Wendy against Acnologia. If my intuition is wrong this time, I'll pleasantly be surprised. … Best to brace myself, though. ^^;**

 **Rest assured, the plan's still to pair Jellal up with Meldy at the end of it all. Even if I give him a hard time in the next few chaps, I'm still against the pairing and not necessarily the character. Might not be my fav character… hell. He might as well be close to the level of Danzo from the Naruto series in my book – and that's** _ **low**_ **on the totem pole. Still not gonna bash him, though. I have my standards.**

 **Last note for now – I will consider at least bringing Ultear back through some means. She doesn't have a huge significance in the plot of this story from my POV as the author, but I suppose that doesn't mean I can't at least resolve her. I'm letting Jellal still find peace in the end, so I don't see why Ultear can't experience the same as well. Far more worthy of the 'redemption' in the canon plotline, in my opinion, but ahhh, Mashima does love his Blueberry. :P**


	10. Chapter 10

_She'd been paying a lot more attention to her hair. Always brushing it with such tender care. And her smile… lately, it'd been shyer in nature. She'd been changing, metamorphosizing, and not really for the better. At least… he didn't think so. She was changing for_ that man _, changing because of_ that man _, and all he could do was watch from the sidelines._

 _"How do I look?"_

 _… Really, that'd been the last straw for him. She'd been growing so distant from them, and suddenly his opinion mattered? It wasn't_ _ **fair**_ _._

 _"Why bother asking me? We all know who you're doing this for. Go and ask_ him _if you're so worried."_

 _It hurt. Kami, the pain was excruciating._

 _"Natsu…!"_

 _He didn't move to dodge or block her punch. It's not like the physical pain would be any worse. So like usual, he went sailing across the room and into the wall. What was different was that he didn't move to get back up immediately. He just sat there, and acted like the punch had knocked him out._

 _It was better than continuing their "conversation."_

* * *

The rain was coming down pretty hard. Thankfully, they had gotten back to Natsu's house before it became a torrential downpour, although it was a pretty minor thing to be relieved about, in the grand scheme of things. The Dragon Slayer's body was littered with cuts, slashes, and bruises; his clothes were in tatters; and the only reason he'd made it back to his house at all was because Mira was shouldering him.

Yet it wasn't the injuries that were hindering Natsu. He was still very capable of moving on his own power. A single glance into his eyes would tell you the real problem… he wasn't mentally there. Mira knew exactly where his mind was, and she bit her lower lip as Meredy closed the door behind them. As gently as she could, she guided the Dragon Slayer over to an empty chair and sat him down. As expected, Natsu did nothing. Said nothing. Just sat limply there, staring off into space, while Mira and Meredy looked on in concern.

"He's… He's going to be okay, right?" The pinkette asked nervously. Truth be told, Natsu hadn't been unresponsive like this in the beginning. Looking at him now, Meredy _wished_ he'd stayed alarmed and panicked; at least then he was talking, even if it was just to yell at them to stay away. Now he just looked so empty, like his fire had been snuffed out. His Magic, his personality, everything.

Mira's gut reaction was to answer yes, of course he would be. This was Natsu, of course he'd bounce right back. Unfortunately, Mira knew him better than that. Natsu might've been resilient, but there were some things that even he needed time to get over. Lisanna's "death." Igneel's death. It was little surprise that he was shook up about this as well; Erza might not have died, but she was gravely wounded, and Natsu blamed himself for it. He said that it was his own two hands that put her in that state – it didn't matter if he was in "control" or not. Mirajane couldn't even remember how they'd convinced him to let them help; after a lot of screaming, Natsu just lost the will to fight back.

Well. It was more like he was _afraid_ of fighting back. Natsu saw firsthand what he did to Erza, and he didn't want to hurt them. That was probably the reason he gave up resisting… because none of them were giving up on him, and the choice was getting taken out of his hands again. Mira hated doing that to him, but she wasn't about to let Natsu do anything hasty when Erza was more than likely going to make a speedy recovery. Mira felt this situation was her fault. She had a duty to help repair the damage, as much as she could.

"He'll be… fine." The silver-haired woman replied, her voice reflecting the doubt and worry in her eyes as she stared at the Dragon Slayer. "It's going to take some time, but Natsu will come back. He will…"

He has to.

Meredy chewed her lower lip and decided to take Mira's word for it. Earlier, she had used her Maguilty Sense to see how Natsu was holding up, and she didn't exactly like the emotions she found. He wasn't feeling suicidal by any stretch of the imagination, but there was no telling what he was going to do with all that sadness and self-loathing.

* * *

 _Earlier…_

The Demon strode forward again until he was standing a little to Erza's left. When he spoke again, it was scarcely above a whisper, and the four words rendered the scarlet knight speechless.

"Natsu Dragneel loves you."

There was no way Erza could have anticipated those words. Natsu… _loved_ her? As in _loved_ , loved?The romantic type of love? Not the love felt for their Fairy Tail family, or close friends? Taking a side glance at END… Yeah, Erza could tell that was what the Demon was implying. His smirk was downright sadistic, and his eyes danced with dark delight.

To say that Erza felt lost would be a gross understatement. In all the years they'd spent together, not once had Natsu seemed to indicate that he felt anything special in regards to her. The two of them and Gray shared a bond that most found unusual; and hell, even just the two of them… Erza wasn't a total fool. To belittle the bond they shared and call it mere 'friendship,' that hardly captured the essence of it at all. They had friends outside the Guild, and Natsu obviously wasn't on that level. Their Guildmates were more like family than mere friends, but for Erza, both Gray and Natsu transcended even that. For example, if Lucy, Gajeel, or Wendy were to die, Erza would be immensely saddened. She would grieve, but eventually she would move on, because they wouldn't want her to wallow in misery.

But Natsu and Gray…? If she were to lose either, or, Kami forbid, _both_ of them, the void left in her heart would be immeasurable. Erza would sooner lose a limb than go a single day without them. _Especially_ Natsu. That's why she'd taken it so hard when she found out that she'd grown distant from the Dragon Slayer, that she'd been hurting him… Erza couldn't pinpoint a single word to describe what Natsu meant to her; even the term 'best friend' felt like it didn't do him justice. Erza felt like their relationship was that complicated, like they were literally on the line between friendship and a relationship, staying perfectly centered on it. So when she hears that Natsu may hold feelings for her, a part of the scarlet knight isn't surprised in the least. _Of course_ he developed feelings for her, just like she would have for him, if not for Jellal's return… It definitely demystified why Natsu was taking this situation so hard, and it made her feel all that much worse.

Even so… Erza could not help but narrow her eyes suspiciously. Though he wore Natsu's face, the one currently taunting her wasn't the Dragon Slayer she grew up with. This was Zeref's ultimate creation that was speaking. Erza knew Natsu, but not END. For all she knew, everything the Demon just ranted could've been a ploy to place a wedge between her and Natsu. END made it no secret that he hated her; he would say anything to hurt her. But the Natsu she knew… Just how much was truth, and how much was fiction? Erza had never known Natsu to hold a grudge against anyone, even people he'd fought to the death against! For Natsu's sake, she wouldn't take this Demon's words at face value. Until she got confirmation from Natsu himself, she would take anything END said to be lies. To do otherwise would be akin to betraying the Dragon Slayer that she knew and treasured.

"Heh… So it's going to be like that, eh…" END gave a malevolent smirk as he allowed the 'mighty' Titania to Requip into her Flame Empress Armor; though Ikaruga had destroyed it, Erza had long since reforged it, and even upgraded it so that it could channel Natsu's Dragon Slayer Magic. He would've been disappointed if Erza hadn't eventually snapped out of her lethargy, masochistic though she was. True, he'd wanted her to sit down and shut up for their little talk… But they were done talking. To get the full sadistic glee out of their impending fight, he _wanted_ her worked up. Killing her while she beat herself up would've been a treat, but it also would've brought the wrath of Fairy Tail down on him, and they had that one Devil Slayer amongst their ranks… Fullbuster.

END was in no shape to beat them all down, even with the boost he got from that creature – one that he thought had gone extinct ages ago, but grateful to nonetheless for giving him the chance to stretch his legs. He'd need his Book so that he could access all of his Curses if he wanted to annihilate them, and the Fairies cleverly had it hidden away somewhere. Besides which, he didn't feel like slaughtering the Fairy Tail Guild. Maybe rough certain people up, like Titania here, but outright kill any of them, no. The only person he'd ever wanted to _kill_ was his brother, and that had been more because of how Zeref had written his Book than any volition on his part. He didn't have any 'affection' for this Guild like Dragneel did, but they weren't boring, and it wasn't exactly a small feat to entertain a Demon, much less one of his caliber.

He lacked his Curses, but that didn't mean he had to resort to the Dragon Slayer's Magic for this fight…

"What… are those?" Erza asked warily as END's fists ignited with black flames. It wasn't hard to deduce that these fires were much more powerful than Dragon Slaying Magic. She could feel the raw heat radiating from his fists, even from this distance.

"Hnn…" END cocked his head at the knight. Instead of answering verbally, he lunged forward and punched the blade as it was held up in self-defense. For a few moments, Erza dared to hope that was enough to counter END's attack… unfortunately, the way the Etherious's lips curled up triumphantly proved that it was _not_ enough. A hissing noise precipitated the blade snapping in two, and END's fist continued like it hadn't been stalled. Erza winced as the punch connected, and she proceeded to tumble along the ground from the blunt impact. As she skidded to a halt, END kept his outstretched arm in place and stared Erza down dully. "Oh, come now… You've said it yourself so _many_ times that Natsu is capable of surpassing you. I'm just the culmination of that potential, because I already lived a – rather short – life before Zeref and Igneel took all of that experience and power away. Those tales of rampages weren't exaggerated."

Erza exhaled calmly and righted herself. END was a shrewd opponent to not reveal any information about his Magic. She was able to learn a little, though – those black flames _were_ powerful, to be able to pierce her Flame Empress sword like that. Erza had endured countless flame-type attacks before, but somehow END's Magic trumped all of them. Much more potent than Dragon Slayer Magic… much hotter, too. She could still feel a searing pain where END's blow had struck her, and a nasty burn mark on her abdomen to show for it. Flame Empress Armor wasn't going to cut it.

As for his physical strength… he hit like a tank. It was true. But that was really no different from Natsu.

"C'mon, now!" END sneered as he changed his stance and surged forward with black flames shooting out from the soles of his feet.

Erza was more prepared for him this time, busting out the Adamantine Armor. Yet when she raised the shields in defense, there was no brutal collision. Rather, a column of black flames rose up before the upper half of it took the crude form of a dragon head and neck. A neck that proved to be fairly flexible, as the structure made a downward curve toward her, and the gaping maw came surging down on her. She Requipped into her Flight Armor, which got her out of dodge in the nick of time, but gave her a prime view of the destruction left in the wake of that attack. A rough circle was now carved out on the severely charred and uneven earth, and there was still a raging inferno behind END as he stared her down.

Erza didn't know how, but it was clear that the strongest Etherious could control flames fluidly, just like Juvia with water. It was an elemental manipulation far above Natsu's, as far as she could tell, and she had barely seen anything yet. END had not been kidding when he boasted of his prowess…

 _'The others will be here soon… I have to end this now, or he_ will _hurt them. If for nothing else than to slight me.'_ Erza grimaced with determination and brought out her next Armor. Not only did she have to do this for them, but for Natsu as well. He was going to be devastated over this.

"Show me more of that delicious despair, Erza! Go on!"

Erza tensed as END was suddenly right next to her, a giant wheel of black flames rotating at blinding speeds to his right. The knight attempted to strike at him with a sword that unleashed a devastating whirlpool from out of nowhere, but the Demon's grin only grew more demented as he was propelled forward and away from her. Erza thought she was in the clear for now, but she missed three embers of black flames that floated along the ground and formed a triangle around her. When they were in position, END had them explode like a volcano would, and Erza wailed as she took the blast full-on.

END landed in a crouch not far from Erza and allowed his wheel of black flames to die down. His sharp teeth gleamed as he watched the "mighty Titania" crumple to the ground, powerless. He'd waited a long time to make her suffer like this. Too many times, this woman had stabbed his weaker self's emotions and twisted the knife just living her life. Dragneel was too caring to do anything about it, but END had absorbed all those dark emotions that Dragneel tried to bury.

He absolutely despised this woman, what she did. The one person he despised even more than this bitch was the man she had chosen over him; and END was confident the day would come soon when he would get his chance to make him suffer, too. But for now, he would settle for pounding Erza into the dust. It would give him a great workout.

Shakily, the scarlet knight got back onto her knees.

"I won't… give up…!" Erza barked forcefully. "Natsu is my friend, and I won't just let you use his body like this!"

END merely scoffed.

"I _told_ you…!" He scowled as the knight cut him off.

"Maybe you are the same person, in a sense. You are Natsu's past." There was a hardness to her eyes as Erza spoke, and END's scowl only deepened as she continued her tirade. "But since then, he's lived a life of new experiences! We don't know him as the ultimate Etherious. Natsu is the son of Igneel, the most destructive member of our Guild! He destroyed Acnologia, and he can most certainly beat you!"

END seemed contemplative for several moments before straightening up and extending his arms in a gracious gesture.

"Alright. Since you're so tenacious, I'll give this one to you for free!" He grinned darkly. "Strike me down now. One all-out attack is all I'll give you. If you don't aim to kill, I can't guarantee your 'friend' will gain control of his body back, and I will definitely aim to kill you in retaliation. It will take the both of you to 'win' against me. But just how far does your trust go? What happens if you really do kill Natsu? The choice is yours."

Erza gritted her teeth at the choice presented to her. She couldn't surrender here. She had resolved to fight until Natsu came to his senses again… But she couldn't risk his life either. No matter how dangerous END was, her friend was still somewhere in there. What's more, attempting to kill him would dishearten Natsu even more…

But if she didn't put everything into this attack… They might not get another chance for Natsu to regain control. And END would try to kill her – she didn't doubt that the Demon would.

 _'Natsu…'_ Erza clenched her fists in determination before Requipping into her Nakagami Armor. If this was going to be their one chance, she wasn't going to wallow in doubts. And she certainly wasn't going to begin doubting Natsu now.

She readied her attack…

* * *

 _Present_

Cobra rolled his eye as he watched Jellal sit at Erza's bedside. There was nothing strange or different about this… and that was just it. Jellal was being himself. Nobody needed his helpless guilt complex right now.

"Those lines on your forehead are gonna be permanent if ya keep frowning like that…" Cobra wisecracked.

Jellal didn't even twitch or anything.

"Erik. You should go home." Jellal eventually mustered a reply, not looking up from his view of Erza.

Cobra just snorted.

"And leave you to your 'woe is me' thoughts? Yeah, because those are _so_ helpful." That got a flinch from the blue-haired man. Cobra let out a sigh again. "Punishing yourself isn't going to help, Jellal. Maybe we all bear some responsibility for making this happen, but I kind of bear the most because I knew about END and didn't say anything."

 _That_ got a reaction, and Cobra could only stare dryly as Jellal glared at him heatedly.

"You _knew_?!" Jellal could barely hold back his rage. This deserved answers, and Cobra was going to give them one way or the other.

"Yeah. Because Natsu and END aren't 'one and the same' like you might think, dumbass!" Cobra drawled. "Look. It wasn't just because Natsu asked me not to say anything. It's because I know about your 'mission' and how friggin' conflicted you were going to be after learning about this. It was complicated enough with that 'love triangle' you guys had, and I wasn't gonna make the situation any messier."

Jellal could feel his throat tighten. His fists clenched but he did nothing.

"I deserved to know…!" He eventually spat out.

"You 'deserve' a shrink…" Cobra sarcastically quipped. Jellal emotionally gestured at Erza.

"Erza's in this state because of…!" Cobra cut him off sharply.

"Uh-uh. Don't go there, pal. I might've made it worse keeping Natsu's secret, but Erza put her life on the line to snap Flamebrain out of it. No one's to 'blame.' Even END is… complicated." He grunted at what an understatement that was. Even he was still mulling over the thoughts that guy had running through his head.

Jellal seethed but sat back down wordlessly. He stared dourly at Erza again. His hands occasionally balled up into fists but then relaxed soon after.

"Just accept you're pissed already…" Cobra sighed after silence had lapsed for several minutes. "END did this to Erza, and you want to fight him on her behalf. That's the real reason you're beating yourself up over this. To work up the nerve to do it."

Jellal bristled at the Dragon Slayer 'reading his mind' again, and he abruptly stood up.

"I'm going to get some air." He briskly replied and stormed out.

"Don't do anything brash…" Cobra warned him, and heaved a sigh when the blue-haired mage shut the door behind him.

Wasn't the leader supposed to babysit, not the other way around? Not that he was part of Crime Sorciere anymore…

* * *

 _"Natsu Dragneel loves you."_

He'd really said that. He'd said that to her face, point blank. Natsu didn't know what was worse – that he confessed to Erza, or what came afterward. Hell, even before he confessed… he'd vented so much…

In hindsight, it didn't matter which was worse. He'd hurt Erza. Physically. Emotionally. He'd spat on their bond. And he couldn't have done anything about it. But he couldn't claim innocence because he was powerless; he was END, and END was him. 'Different personality' or not, END was _his_ responsibility. His past. His skeleton in the closet. Natsu thought he could keep the Demon in check, but this incident demonstrated END had gotten a leg up on him. He could take control at any time. If Natsu wanted to make amends at all, get END under control, he needed to go away for a while. Vent as much Magic as possible.

Once that was done, maybe he could come back. Maybe then he could face Erza. And Mira. And all their friends. He could even face Jellal, and get their "issues" sorted out. But not now. He was far too volatile.

Natsu set out from his home with this in mind, a cloak draped over his form, and a note clenched in his right hand. At the very least, Mira had to know about his decision, but he wasn't going to bug her about it. She'd stayed by him for hours after the incident, and had only left to check on Erza when he insisted he'd be fine. It was a lie, and he had a feeling they both knew it, but she'd left all the same. Freed, Jellal, Meredy, and Cobra had taken Erza to the Guild infirmary, but Mira had been rather insistent _he_ needed somebody after what happened. After all, he'd only regained control after Erza was on the ground and at his mercy; she'd known it was him from just one look in his eyes, and she knew the mindset he'd be in.

Mira was perceptive like that. One of the few outside of Team Natsu that could understand him. Empathize with him. That made him feel somewhat guilty that he wouldn't be bringing her along… But… he couldn't take any more risks. He had _no_ idea what END had planned at any given moment; if he snapped and wanted to kill… Natsu wouldn't be able to stop himself. He needed to leave before it came to that. That's all there was to it.

Though he was already striding at a brisk pace, Natsu picked up the pace ever-so-slightly. The sooner he dropped off the note, the sooner he could leave.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Satora imaoman domosamashi detashinuke taregasayo sonoka! This took far too long to pump out. I had most of this written out last year – or at least a draft – but I wasn't happy with it. I'm still not too happy with how it came out, if I'm honest. Angst is hard. It was never my forte, and it still drags me down into a bitter state. That's why this fic is updated so irregularly – it's not one of my main fics, and it is** _ **hard**_ **to write this out. Up to this point, even if I didn't mean it, I was bashing on Erza because of the Jerza ship, and I want to work to change that. Similarly with Jellal, I'm not going to bash his character. That's not my style. And even though I'm focused on Erza, I want to work to make Mira more relevant, too.**

 **Having said all that… demanding to make me update this REALLY isn't the way to make me write faster, guys. To those who were patiently waiting, I thank you. Your patience means a lot. But the others who were spamming the reviews, PMing me? I understand your frustration, but I'm only one writer. I've got my own life, and if my muse wants me to update other fics, I'll do that. I've managed to hold back posting Danganronpa fics because of places like Tumblr, but I was on the verge of attempting a Danganronpa one-shot for a while. This fanfic here is very different from the other ones I am currently updating. With this fanfic, so much of the plot is "on the go." As in, I have no synopsis to go off of. No concrete details etched out. If I had to describe what is powering and guiding this fic, it's "emotion." I only have a very vague idea where we're headed, and I don't want to rush it because I care about the characters too much. I still plan to wrap this thing up by Chapter 20-ish, if not a few more chapters than that. There might be some timeskips because healing takes time, and it'd get monotonous showing every detail of that process. The main thing is the clash that Natsu and Jellal are heading toward, in order to resolve the tension that they never got to resolve in canon. Once that gets cleared up, it's going to be smooth"er" sailing from there.**

 **In the future, please try to not harass me about updates. There is no schedule, and as the writer I'm the one in control of updates, not you guys. I will update when I can and when my muse feels cooperative. I do feel about making you wait, make no mistake about that. But getting heated demands does not make me want to rush back into this; in fact, it makes me even more uneasy because of expectations. Writing is not an easy process, not even fanfiction writing, and I'd much rather work at my own pace than a deadline. Especially because I have some big stuff coming up in the fall. Don't be afraid of this fic getting abandoned; as this is a hobby fic, I do intend to finish it because it's smaller in general than the other stories I'm working on. However, that makes updates harder because I'm feeling it out and trying not to rush things. Just be patient, please.**


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